Recreational Sports

I received my undergraduate and master’s degree from Oregon State University.  It wasn't until my last year of graduate school that I began working at the Department of Recreational Sports.  I was one year away from receiving my master’s degree in counseling and I was searching for a part-time job that would still allow me to complete a full-time internship and attend classes.  As soon as I stumbled upon the Department of Recreational Sports website and learned about the Outreach Team, I knew I had to apply.

The purpose of The Outreach Team resonated with me. It read:   "The direction and itinerary of The Outreach Team is centered on balance; both demonstrating it and enabling others to incorporate it into their daily lives.  Our path includes changing the environment of the OSU community to better enable physical activity today and well into the future.  We educate on the value of well-being, and create healthy opportunities for all lifestyles within the Department of Recreational Sports."

A lot of the purpose of the team aligned with who I wanted to be as a school counselor.  After applying for a position on the Outreach Team, I was fortunate enough to get hired as the student supervisor.

I already considered myself an organized person, but trying to juggle my teammates’ class schedules and keep up to date on their work projects was a whole new level of organization for me!  Another part of my job was to encourage and support my team members in their projects and goals.  I thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch my team members' ideas turn into projects, and watch those projects come to life.

I had amazing supervisors in Tina Clawson and Wendy Little, who encouraged me and shaped me into the leader I am today.  Reflecting on my time with the Outreach Team I learned that it was ok to take chances.  Sometimes our ideas worked out as planned and sometimes they didn't, but what was important was the hard work, dedication, and purpose we had behind those ideas.

Not only did I grow professionally in my time with Recreational Sports, I also met some amazing people along the way.  I have so many fond memories from dancing in the MU Quad after the Be Well 5k to having team get-togethers. One of my favorite memories was the opportunity I had to go canyoneering with fellow Recreational Sports student supervisors, who encouraged me to jump off a 15-foot ledge into the water, when I really didn't want to!

Being a part of the Outreach Team at Recreational Sports is a time that I will always cherish and my only regret is that I would have found Recreational Sports and the Outreach Team sooner!

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Katie is currently in her 3rd year working as a school counselor at a local middle school.