McKayla Strohl, a May graduate of Commonwealth University-Lock Haven University in the Master of Science in Athletic Training program, was first introduced to the world of sports medicine in high school as a student-athlete. In her hometown of Northampton, Strohl also took sports medicine courses at Northampton Area High School and at Bethlehem Vocational Technical School.
Having been a student-athlete in high school and experiencing her own sports-related injuries, Strohl wanted to provide care to athletes and help them return quickly to the sport they love. So, she decided to pursue a career in athletic training and begin her college education at Lock Haven.
During Strohl’s last semester of graduate school, she had the opportunity to complete a clinical externship at Arizona State University in Tempe Arizona. She worked under the supervision of certified athletic trainer, Tanner Spoden, primarily working with the softball team. She also had the opportunity to work with Arizona State’s men’s tennis, women’s soccer and gymnastics teams and created professional relationships with other certified athletic trainers.
During her time at Arizona State University, Strohl covered daily practices and home conference games. While working at the Divison I level, Strohl was able focus on developing her confidence with upper extremity evaluations due to the nature of her sport assignment. She also learned to implement manual therapies such as cupping, soft tissue massage and gavilon into her daily practice to treat her patients. She has received great feedback from her patients on the use of those modalities.
“Being able to manage an athletic training facility under a certified athletic trainer’s supervision has greatly increased my confidence, and it makes me more excited to begin a career working as a certified athletic trainer,” Strohl said.
