Careers and Internships
Tina Schmidt-McNulty
From her junior year in high school, when she was competing in swim meets, Tina Schmidt-McNulty knew she wanted to be involved in sports medicine. “I’d always been an average athlete who put in a 110-percent effort and could never quite break into the top eight, which really bothered me,” she says. “I wanted to help others achieve their athletic potential.”
Her HPER education gave Schmidt-McNulty the opportunity to “learn from the best,” including Kay Burrus, HPER’s former associate dean for academic program administration, who motivated her to pursue graduate school.
As an exercise specialist at Purdue University Calumet in Hammond, Indiana, Schmidt-McNulty supervises the school’s Department of Fitness, Wellness, and Sports and teaches courses in exercise physiology, exercise testing and prescription, and kinesiology. About 500 students visit the school’s excerise center every day, and each year, more than 200 behavioral science students receive in-depth training in specialty areas ranging from nutrition and health to personal training. The majority end up living and working in Indiana.
Throughout the school year, Schmidt-McNulty reaches hundreds of Hoosiers through her health and fitness workshops and seminars. “This profession is about changing people’s lives and helping them reach their full potential,” she said. “The program at IU is the gold standard for me. It really prepared me for what I’m doing now.”
