Karley Vahey

Karley Vahey

  • Hometown 
    "Springfield, Delaware County PA"
  • CHS Department 
    "Sports Medicine"
  • What year are you, and what is your major? 
    "I am a first year Masters student studying Athletic Training."
  • What is your career goal? 
    "Ideally, I would like to end up at a Division I college or working with a professional team. The Eagles are the dream though!"
  • How has WCU prepared you for that? 
    "So far I have worked with the Women's Soccer team here at WCU, which has taught me a lot about the collegiate level in general. This upcoming semester I hope to be at a Division I university working with their football team to get a feel for if that's really what I want to do. This new accelerated program has taught me a lot about discipline and time managament, which is only going to help prepare me even more."
  • Is there anyone at WCU who has been especially helpful or inspirational to you? 
    "When I was an undergrad here, I had to take an athletic Training and First Aid class. I took it in the summer with John Smith, a professor and an Athletic Trainer, and he taught me so much in such a short amount of time. We would do hands on things, like CPR and spine boarding, but we'd also do research on topics like seizures and heat stroke, things that can be life threatening. I always knew I wanted to be an Athletic Trainer since I played sports my whole life, but this class didn't feel like "work". I looked forward to going to class and learning things that could potentially save an athlete's life and I think the way John teaches and the fact that he knows so much about what he is teaching just added to this. The way I felt in his class is the reason I applied for this program."
  • Is there a highlight from your time at WCU that you'd like to share? 
    "Honestly, my highlight would be getting into this program! At the end of my undergraduate years here, this new program was starting, so I applied and two months after I graduated I found out I got accepted. Now I get to do what I love everyday and I get to be part of the first cohort to go through this program, and I think that's pretty cool to be a part of."
  • What makes you most proud to be graduating from WCU? 
    "The frist thing that makes me proud is the professors. They got to the ends of the earth to make sure the students understand and excel at this material. They make sure we are prepared and comfortable with anything we may face out on the field. Some schools don't have professors who are invested like that, so the Athletic Training students here are very lucky to get that. The second thing I'm proud of is that West Chester has one of the best AT programs in the nation. A lot of people have graduated from here who work with some really cool teams. So far I've had a class taught by the head AT for the Philadelphia Phillies and I went to a talk given by the head AT for the Philadelphia Flyers. The opportunities we have from being in this program are endless and it's exciting to know that could be my future just from going to school at WCU."
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