Sanai Edwards '25
If you’ve ever broken your leg, gotten a concussion, or been injured in any manner at Cate, you’ve experienced the glory and wonders of the Athletic Training Center (ATC). Whether it's hearing awful jokes cracked by Shannon Drew and Lauren Ellis, seeing football players master toe yoga, or just enjoying the calming ambient music, the ATC is a place where people are reluctant to go but love to stay. To understand where this athletic fun and unique humor come from, let us take a look at the journey it takes to become an athletic trainer.
Shannon spoke first to the fact that her career field is mainly male-dominated, sharing, “I’m incredibly proud to be a woman in the AT field. I was also fortunate to have three female-identifying teachers in my graduate school program, including our program director, all of which was unheard of then and still is now.” As heard in the most recent convocation, being taught by female teachers is helpful when pursuing a male-dominated field. Trailblazing teachers continue to inspire upcoming female trainers and more females are taking leadership positions like “the first female-identifying president of the National Athletic Trainers’ Association.”
Shannon recounted the hardships she overcame as she was coming up in the field, saying, “I really wanted a 2nd year position with the NY Jets. I had probably five conversations with my Clinical Director about it because the Head AT would never let me get the position because I was a woman. Luckily, I had never faced this before in my life–but it was infuriating.” Although set back by systemic misogyny, Shannon “...ended up being placed with the Somerset Patriots, an independent minor league baseball team, which was amazing. They won the league championship that year. [She] also learned a ton from the ATs and Strength & Conditioning coaches, worked with an osteopath who was doing PRP and prolotherapy treatments well before it was mainstream, and worked with baseball players who have played at all levels including the majors and had won World Series.” Not only is this a touching message of persistent optimism, but it is also an indication of the work still left to do in STEM-based fields to mitigate misogyny.
Shannon and Lauren happily perform their job with the rewarding experience of helping students return to doing the things they love. If you are interested in becoming an Athletic Trainer, here is some advice from the best in town:
Tip #1: “Go to Seton Hall. Honestly, it’s hands down the best program out there. You receive world-class cross-curricular education from ATs, PTs, PAs, and MDs.”
Tip #2: “Don’t let the hours or pay scare you away from something you love. You just have to find the right situation! If you’ve been in the ATC, you have seen how much Lauren and I love what we do. There are hard times, but we have a lot of fun. If you love medicine and working with athletes, this might be for you! The best part is getting to see the process from start to finish on a daily basis. That daily interaction is what sets the AT profession apart from others.”
Cate’s hard-working athletic training team deserves support and appreciation for all of the effort they put in on a daily basis to help students get back on their feet after injuries. Next time you stop by, be sure to share your gratitude!
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