Her Story
About Michelle
I'm a head athletic trainer at the Spence School in Manhattan, where I focus on sports medicine and the comprehensive health and wellness of our student-athletes. My responsibilities include taking care of injuries, prevention, being on-site during games if somebody gets hurt, seeing athletes during the day for rehab at school, and helping them with their eating and nutrition needs pre-season, during the season, and after the season. It's a full scope of care. I initially went to school for physical therapy because I wanted to work with athletes in an orthopedic setting, but when I got injured playing basketball in college, the person taking care of me was an athletic trainer. I didn't even know what an athletic trainer was at the time because my high school didn't have one. I looked into it, talked to her, and switched my major. At that time, they didn't actually have an athletic training major at my school, so I self-designed it, taking a lot of the PT classes like gross anatomy and some therapy classes with the PTs, using those credits towards my degree. That's how I got into the athletic training aspect, but it was always about working with athletes, athletics, and sports medicine. Over 30 years later, here I am, and I even went back to get my doctorate in 2018 while working full-time.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Michelle
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to being true to myself. It takes a village, and I've had a lot of help from people being there for me. My boss that I have right now allowed me to work full-time and also get my studies done when I was pursuing my doctorate. My partner dealt with me through it all and was right there supporting me. That's what you do for each other. I couldn't have done it without the people who believed in me and supported my journey.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
She believed she could, so she did. That saying has really guided me throughout my career and reminds me that if you believe in yourself and put your mind to something, you can achieve it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You can do it. Just put your mind to it, and you can do it. If you believe this is what you want to do, put your mind to it. You can do it. I embody that belief that she believed she could, so she did, and any kids coming up through the ranks can see that if they set their mind to something and believe in themselves, they can achieve their goals in this field.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Always do your best. Do all that you can. Just do your best in life, and the rest will fall into place. I believe in giving everything your full effort and letting things work out from there.
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