Central College alumna, Renee Williams, a pre-athletic training graduate in the Class of 2020, has completed graduate school and passed the board of certification exam. Williams is the first Central pre-athletic training alumna to become board-certified in athletic training.
Williams completed her master’s in athletic training in 2022 from Truman State University, Kirksville, Missouri. Upon graduation, she secured a position with the Greater Regional Health Center and Greater Regional Athletic Training in Creston, Iowa, working with high school and community college athletes.
“Athletic training had not been my goal initially at Central,” Williams says. “At the end of my sophomore year, I shifted focus. I worked in the athletic training room over the summer. Then, I had an internship with Todd Smith at the Pella Community High School and volunteered at the Pella Regional Medical Center with physical therapy. Central prepared me for work in athletic training. Classroom work directly applied to real-life experiences.”
“The faculty were mentors, like John Roslien, Dave Pavlat and Katelin Valster,” Williams says. “They helped me prepare for graduate school. I received a district-wide Mid America Athletic Trainers’ Association Graduate Scholarship in March 2022. John Roslien came to the awards presentation. He really supports students and their success.”
Central’s pre-professional tracks, including pre-athletic training, prepare students for graduate programs. The undergraduate athletic training major was removed due to Commission on Accreditation of Athletic Training Education changes. Central now offers kinesiology and a pre-professional athletic training program for prospective students. Central’s kinesiology program offers a strength and conditioning major accredited by the Council on Accreditation of Strength and Conditioning Education.