An international student from Venezuela, Andres Rodriguez is an advocate for changing the field of public health. As a recent graduate with dual degrees in Exercise Science and Psychology, Rodriguez, who is also a graduate of the USF Honors College, strives to integrate techniques of fitness and mindfulness into his work and highlight how psychology plays a part in the rehabilitation, conditioning and strengthening processes. Rodriguez's education began with training athletes, and today he strives to promote access to holistic health plans and to enhance the well-being of his community.
What motivated you to pursue a degree in Exercise Science?
I have always been physically active and played sports my entire life, and felt that the Exercise Science program at the OB体育官网 would allow me to develop my knowledge of fitness principles, while remaining close to my passion of athletics and performance. The more I learned about the Exercise Science degree, the more motivated I became to pursue it!
What do you enjoy about your major?
I really enjoy the diversity that the Exercise Science program at USF offers. Among its subfields there are general fitness, cardiac rehabilitation, physical therapy, sports medicine, strength and conditioning, among others. While my primary interests are related to the strength and conditioning aspect of the field, I also enjoyed the coursework that helped me learn about the chronic diseases and musculoskeletal injuries, as these are important issues that all practitioners should be well aware of.
The internship experience in my final semester was invaluable, as I was able to work with elite professional athletes in a strength and conditioning facility, and it provided me the opportunity to apply my theoretical knowledge and training principles in a real-world setting. The internship experience also allowed me to observe the training methods and goal setting for elite level athletes. Overall, the Exercise Science program helped me develop my training philosophy and the various dimensions of health and fitness such as the physical and mental components.
What goals do you hope to accomplish after completing the program?
Currently, I am pursuing my dream of playing professional baseball as it has been my passion since I was very young. It gives me a great advantage to be knowledgeable in how to program and structure my own training with proper techniques and being aware of how to accomplish specific goals. At the same time, I will take a strength and conditioning position with the Detroit Tigers, in which I will help other players achieve their best physical level by providing them with great training and helping them prevent future injuries.
In the long run, I would love to establish my own facility, which I鈥檝e already started working on. My project is called Beast-Mode Performance, and it will focus on helping anyone who wants to optimize their health and fitness. The main goal of this project will be to help create healthy habits for both the regular population and for professional athletes. I want to be able to make an impact on people鈥檚 lives by helping them achieve the best version of themselves through scientific foundations from exercise science and psychology.
Why did you choose to attend the OB体育官网 for your studies?
I was already pursuing my degree at a different university, but the level of academic rigor and athletic competition at USF was higher, so I wanted to experience more enriched opportunities and decided to switch universities. I was confident in my decision to study in the Exercise Science program at the OB体育官网 after meeting the professors and the extremely helpful guidance of my honors adviser, Cayla Lanier.
What other activities and student organizations do you participate in?
My initial experience as a student pursuing athletic opportunities did not allow me to participant in other organizations as much as I would have liked to; however, I was part of the USF Honors College, which provided me the opportunity to conduct a research project under the guidance and mentorship of Dr. Nic Martinez in the Exercise Science program. My honors thesis examined the concept of mental toughness and how it relates to sports performance. I feel that my honors thesis provided me with a culminating experience that helped me bridge the gap between the physical and mental aspects of performance.
What experiences have you had as part of the Exercise Science Program that have prepared you for your future work?
The classes are very well structured as they focus on theoretical information for the first part of the program. Through progression of coursework, the program becomes much more practical, which gave me a great sense of confidence because I was able to get hands-on experience related to what I had been learning. Additionally, the internship during the last semester represents a great opportunity to obtain practical experience regarding whatever the student wants to achieve relative to the field (i.e. strength and conditioning, health and wellness). I had the opportunity to intern with