Krystal SantiagoArroyo

I grew up surrounded by sports and always wanted to find a way to be part of it while helping people. When I was researching what I wanted to become in life, I discovered athletic training, which was the perfect combination of being around sports and finding a way to help people. I decided to focus on college athletes primarily because it is such a unique stage of people's lives. You go from being a teenager to a full adult in four years, and being part of that process as their athletic trainer, seeing them growing within their sport and their personality, is what inspires me every day. I feel like I am part of that growth. My journey began with my bachelor's degree in Puerto Rico in athletic training. Because the profession is not regulated in Puerto Rico, I decided to pursue graduate school in the United States. While in my undergraduate program, I was part of committees to do evaluations on educational programs and was part of the school government, trying to get the program re-evaluated and expanded as much as we could. I attended Springfield College where I completed my two-year master's program to become certified. The transition from an undergrad fully in Spanish to graduate school in English was really hard, but I found mentors like Tina Riordan and Kelsey Requestrish who helped me grow and motivated me to keep going and not quit because of the language barrier. After passing my board exam two summers ago, I got my first job at Colby College, a Division III institution, where I have been working for two years. In my current role, I work with multiple sports including both women's and men's rugby, cross-country, track and field, softball, and squash. My responsibilities include preventing injuries, managing injuries, and providing rehabilitation. I also conduct strength testing to identify body imbalances and prevent future injuries, working one-on-one with athletes as much as possible to keep them healthy and functional throughout their seasons. One of my most notable professional achievements is keeping my interactions bilingual. I speak two languages, and where I am right now, I have a good amount of athletes who speak Spanish. Building that connection through language is one of my biggest accomplishments. I have also had the opportunity to mentor others, including a student from my graduate program who became our student athletic trainer last fall. I was able to guide her through steps in athletic training, and we are still in touch as I continue to support her even from a distance. One of my highest interests is research on rhabdomyolysis. I presented my capstone in graduate school about it and have kept that research going throughout my two years after graduate school because I think it is a topic that should be talked about more. I will be presenting my findings at the end of this spring.