Alyssa Macias still remembers that day her freshman year when it snowed. It was Reading Day. The fall semester was wrapping up and everyone was getting ready for finals. “The entire campus paused their studying to go outside and enjoy the snow with their friends,” Macias recalls. “I think about that night all the time.” She and her friends took a much-needed study break, joining the rest of the campus to play in the snow.
Macias pursued her Master of Athletic Training degree, graduating in 2022. Looking back, she believes that sense of community is one of the things that sets TLU apart—and she specifically encountered it in her master’s program. “This program is so close-knit, and I thoroughly enjoyed being comfortable enough to talk to my preceptors and professors one-on-one about anything and everything,” she says. “They were always willing to help my cohort and I better understand different topics and cases to help us in the future.”
These days, Macias is an assistant athletic trainer for softball at the University of Missouri, and she credits her alma mater for getting her there. “TLU’s Athletic Training program helped me build connections that I needed to help me step out of my comfort zone and further develop my professional skills as an athletic trainer. I was able to see how different athletic trainers at various levels and settings utilize their resources to accomplish the same goal of helping our patients get back to doing something they love.”
A noble calling, to be sure. And in helping others, Macias gets to do what she loves, too.
TLU’s Master of Athletic Training program offers two paths to students: a five-year educational experience in which they are awarded concurrent Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Master of Athletic Training degrees. The second option is for students who already hold an undergraduate degree and can apply directly to the Master of Athletic Training program. For more information on TLU’s Master of Athletic Training program, click here: Master of Athletic Training | Athletic Training Program.