It’s no surprise that nursing and health sciences students are drawn to community service. After all, they have chosen to pursue careers based on helping others and making the world a better place. This spotlight series shows how some of our students share their time and talents to solve problems, improve lives and strengthen communities.

Emily Park, Exercise Science ‘18

Emily is passionate about promoting exercise as medicine for preventing and managing chronic disease. She works as a personal trainer at UVM Campus Recreation. After graduation, she plans to enroll in a master’s program for exercise physiology and work in cardiac rehabilitation.

She volunteers for UVM’s IDEAL (Individually Designed Exercise for Active Lifestyles), an exercise program for people battling multiple sclerosis, and for Pushback, an exercise program for people with Parkinson’s disease.

As a leader of the UVM Exercise and Movement Science Association, Emily promotes physically active lifestyles on campus and organizes monthly Body Composition Testing days for students, faculty and staff. At these events, club members perform bioelectrical impedance analyses to measure body fat and muscle mass, calculate waist–to-hip ratio and body mass index, give participants a personal cardiovascular risk report and make suggestions for improving risk through exercise.

“I love leading the Exercise Science Club to spark interest and passion in Exercise and Movement Science and give students exposure to the major early on in their college career,” Emily said. “Participating in the club has prepared me for my future career because I get to interact with individuals at Body Comp days, and I teach club members how to perform the body composition testing. Leading the club has taught me organizational skills as well as some aspects of marketing our events to campus and the greater Burlington community.”

The club will offer body composition testing from 4 – 9 p.m. in Rowell Building 017 on February 28, March 29 and April 25, 2018. The $5 per person fee supports the students’ registration fees for exercise science conferences.