Student shares 'amazing experience' at AT symposium

Marin Schaffner, a junior athletic training major from Wauseon, recently attended the annual symposium of the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Association (GLATA), where she was elected to serve on the organization's Student Senate. She writes here about her experience at the symposium and how it will benefit her in the future.

In December I applied for and was chosen to become a member of the Ohio Athletic Trainers Association Student Senate (OSS) and to represent the group within the Great Lakes Athletic Trainers Association (GLATA) Student Senate (GSS). In March, at the GLATA Annual Symposium in Wheeling, Ill., my two-year term officially began. I was encouraged to apply for the student senate position by Professor Trevor Bates and Heidelberg ATP graduate Genna Fusco, who held the same position in the past. I was completely unaware of the position before they introduced it to me, and they helped me through the application process. I am so glad they both were available for me to ask questions to, and willing to answer my numerous questions. Along with Professor Bates, Genna helped to develop the OATA Student Senate, and I am so thankful that they did because I already know that it will prepare me for my professional future in athletic training.

Once I arrived in Wheeling, I was able to interact with the rest of the Student Senate, I felt more at ease about my role. Throughout the week, the Student Senate was constantly busy, attending GLATA Executive Board meetings, running our own meetings, attending informational presentations and taking care of other responsibilities that we had as student senators. As a group, we were in charge of running the student skills challenge, the quiz bowl and a station that we set up for students to register for a National Provider Identification (NPI) number.

We also had the responsibility of introducing different presentations that were a part of the student program. I had the privilege of introducing two of my own professors and mentors, Professors Bates and Tyson Depinet. Their presentation was very different from most, as it was an interactive activity that tested students' knowledge of pharmacology and pathology, as well as their abilities to ask sufficient questions and work with their peers. The students seemed to enjoy the activity immensely, and they rose to the challenge of identifying the exact condition that they were presented with. Although the activity was with material that was difficult and could be learned and tested in any class back at their respective universities, the groups had fun with the activity and put lots of effort into it. It was very interesting for me to see the ways in which these students from around the region interacted with my professors, and how it was so different from how my classmates and I interact with them on a daily basis. It was also interesting to see my professors interact with these students, and how that was different from how they interact with students here at Heidelberg.

Overall, GLATA was an amazing experience. I loved being able to see so many professionals and students who were passionate about the field of athletic training, as well as the constant progress and development our profession is undergoing. I feel very fortunate that I am able to be a part of such a great region, and that I can represent Ohio to the GLATA Student Senate. I look forward to the next two years of my term as a GLATA student senator, as well as the GLATA symposiums I will attend in the future years.