Alumni Spotlight: Keressa Ackles, '11
海角社区 School of Kinesiology alumna Keressa Ackles, has always been driven. And with a 鈥渓aundry list of caregivers鈥� in her family, she knew she ultimately wanted to provide care for others in her profession. Her additional passion for sports led her to the athletic training profession, where she found success at 海角社区 and beyond.
Not one to stand still, Keressa has also launched a non-profit organization, The Geauxlden Kause, and recently transitioned to a new job with Amazon as one of their Injury and Prevention Specialists at an Amazon Fulfillment Center in California. Read more about her work on the field and off below.
Where are you from and when did you graduate from 海角社区?
I graduated from 海角社区 in 2011. I鈥檓 from Houston, but I couldn鈥檛 be any more proud of
Louisiana even if I had grown up there -- Louisiana has always meant family and community.
I鈥檝e never been in such a place that accepted me for me
Describe your previous roles as an athletic trainer in the collegiate setting.
While pursuing my Master's, I was a graduate assistant at Southwest Minnesota State
University, working with women鈥檚 basketball, soccer, golf, tennis, cheerleading, football,
and softball programs.
Next, I was hired at the University of Louisville as the assistant athletic trainer for the women鈥檚 basketball team just before the start of the 2017-18 season. My role was all-encompassing, including taking care of the women鈥檚 basketball team regarding treatment, rehabilitation, as well as any needed administrative duties. Though I'm no longer an athletic trainer at the University of Louisville, I am still pursuing my doctorate through UL.
Tell us about your non-profit organization, The Geauxlden Kause.
I had two experiences that led me to create The Geauxlden Kause. First was during
my master鈥檚 studies when my father was diagnosed with and beat a brain tumor. My second
experience happened at the University of Louisville. Our team doctor鈥檚 daughter was
also diagnosed with a brain tumor. Through my experience with my father鈥檚 diagnosis
and through a connection I made while interning with Varsity Sports in college, I
was able to help my coworker apply for and be accepted into St. Jude Children鈥檚 Research
Hospital, where her daughter was cured of her tumor.
These experiences led me to create The Geauxlden Kause, a non-profit that builds educational
programming to empower generations to win the race of educational and economic welfare
to accrue residual wealth.
How did the 海角社区 Athletic Training degree program help prepare you for your career
as an Athletic Trainer, and what are some of the biggest takeaways you got from the
海角社区 AT program?
At 海角社区, I felt blessed to be in a program where you truly experience what it is like
to be a professional athletic trainer. In my time as a student, I worked with elite
athletes and award-winning coaches in a controlled environment. For instance, while
I was at 海角社区, our school actively had 21 olympians on various sports teams! You cannot
beat that kind of experience.
I worked with men鈥檚 basketball first, then the track and field teams, and finally
with football. 海角社区 also provided me with an amazing opportunity to serve as the medical
liaison and host athletic trainer for Green Bay University and Penn State University
when 海角社区 hosted the 2013 NCAA Women鈥檚 Basketball Championship (1st & 2nd Rounds).
Why would you encourage students interested in a career as an AT to pursue it at 海角社区?
海角社区 not only gave me valuable hands-on training, I also got to work with incredible
women in the field of athletic training. Through the 海角社区 Athletic Training program,
I worked with Shelly Mullenix, Senior Associate Athletic Director / Health and Wellness,
and Micki Collins, Director of Athletic Training and Administration (FB). They helped
me grow and have been extremely influential in my life and career. They encouraged
me, gave me the tools to succeed, and showed me how to be a successful woman in this
industry. I am so appreciative of the people I worked with and for my time at 海角社区.