Senior Stories: Exercise Science

Taylor wouldn't be Taylor without amazing students. 

Taylor exists to develop servant-leaders marked with a passion to minister Christ's redemptive love. In this Senior Stories series, you’ll read about students seeking to serve through many different fields and how God has used Taylor in their lives.

Taylor’s Exercise Science Program

At Taylor, we recognize the importance of maintaining the bodies we’ve been given. Students studying in the Health Sciences can participate in local programs that give them hands-on experiences and do research projects that are presented at national conferences, such as the annual Experimental Biology conference or the Midwestern American College of Sports Medicine regional conference. 

In the Exercise Science program, students can prepare for a medical career with Pre-Allied Health or learn how to help others maintain healthy lifestyles by pursuing Health Science and Human Performance. Here's one senior's story who is graduating from Taylor’s Exercise Science program.

Name: Andrew Kennedy, '20 Major: Exercise Science Hometown: Goshen, IN Graduate School: IU School of Medicine

Why did you choose to attend Taylor and select your major?

I chose to attend Taylor because I felt like it was the best place for me to grow in my faith, academically and athletically. Since coming here, the experiences I have had and people I have met have helped me to grow in so many more ways than I could have imagined. I chose exercise science as my major because I enjoyed learning about how our bodies work and how exercise affects our bodies.

What people have had the greatest impact on you during your time at Taylor? 

Some people that have made an impact on my time at Taylor are my professors, especially the exercise science professors. One of the main ways they helped me is by giving me a more holistic view on how our body works. They have also stretched me academically and motivated me to go to graduate school. 

My peers and coaches have also had an impact on my time at Taylor. They challenged me to become a better person through various ways that improved my character and they have personally demonstrated how to live a life for Jesus.

How do you feel prepared for your future because of your Taylor experience? What are your hopes for your future career?

Taylor has helped prepare me for the future by giving me a more holistic view on certain topics and situations. This holistic view will help me in my future career of becoming a sports medicine physician by helping me to fully understand where my patients are coming from so I can treat them most effectively. Taylor has also helped give me a stronger foundation in my faith which will help me minister to people in the future.

What advice would you give a high school student who is considering entering your major at Taylor?

Exercise science is an extraordinary discipline that will increase your knowledge on how the body works and how exercise can affect various populations. Taylor is unique because there are many times where the professors will relate Christianity to the various subjects you learn throughout the year. 

There are many programs within the Exercise Science Department at Taylor that can help you apply what you learn in the classroom to real-life scenarios, such as the Fit into Health program. These programs have numerous benefits that can best prepare you for your future career. 

If you are thinking about exercise science as a major, I would suggest keeping your options open for graduate school as well. There are many graduate programs you can attend with an Exercise Science degree and Taylor does a wonderful job with helping you gain a holistic view in various disciplines, such as increasing your faith in the spiritual foundation courses.