When University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point student Gracie Casper began searching for an internship opportunity, she knew she wanted an experience that would help her gain the skills for work in the fitness and wellness industry.
A rising senior majoring in health sciences and wellness, Casper found that opportunity through DAWG Fitness at UW-Stevens Point. After working at the new Health and Wellness Center for a year, her supervisor, Amy Fitschen, fitness programs manager, approached her to design a specialized internship around her interests and career goals.
“We talked through everything I wanted to get out of the internship,” said Casper. “So it’s a good mix of personal projects and work for DAWG Fitness.”
Throughout the internship, Casper has gained experience in program development, research, student engagement and the daily operations involved in managing a fitness center.
“We quickly learned that Gracie was a go-getter,” said Fitschen. “Early on we set up the goals and projects she’d like to accomplish, and she continues to go above and beyond what she’s asked to do.”
One of her largest projects has been researching a proposal for the potential addition of personal training opportunities for UW-Stevens Point students and community members.
“I researched other Universities of Wisconsin schools and some private schools that have a similar population as ours to see if they had personal training and if they were seeing benefits from it,” said Casper. “I also looked into whether they have it built into the tuition or if students have to pay for it themselves.”
Casper has also gained a better understanding of the planning and budgeting of resources required to bring programs to life and run a fitness center.
In addition to her research, Casper is collaborating with the campus dietitian to develop new opportunities for students to engage in health and wellness.
“We are creating events for students to learn about basic nutrition needs, fitness basics, meal prepping and how to avoid fake social media news surrounding health and fitness,” said Casper.
Additionally, Casper is also in the process of creating a monthly walking program to encourage students to get out and active.
Beyond developing programs, Casper gained confidence communicating with student families and campus professional staff. During new student orientation this summer, she tabled the resource fair and presented information about FitRec to students and parents.
The internship has helped Casper develop professional skills that extend beyond fitness and wellness. She learned how to use campus systems, interview students for various positions and manage projects independently.
“I feel like one of my biggest takeaways is learning how to work in a professional setting,” said Casper. “I learned how to dress professionally, talk in more professional ways and email and interact with professionals since you’re reaching out to many different people throughout the day.”
She has also gained organization, prioritization and leadership skills and supervised a high school student interning with DAWG Fitness during the summer.
“It turned into an intern of an intern scenario,” said Casper. “I taught her how to gain more skills to put on a resume, how campus jobs work and just talked about college life.”
For students hoping to pursue similar opportunities, Casper encourages them to seek experiences, build connections and be willing to try something new.
“I would say get as much experience as possible while you are here,” said Casper. “Get those experiences, get your name out there, get your foot in the door and just try new things.
For Casper, getting involved at DAWG Fitness helped her discover new opportunities and build relationships that shaped her future goals and helped her envision her future career.
“My future dream job would be managing a fitness center and aiding personal training, nutrition and group exercise classes,” said Casper.
As she continues her journey at UW-Stevens Point, Casper’s internship has provided more than professional experience. It has allowed her to explore her career interests while contributing to the health and wellness of the campus community.
“UWSP has really given me the opportunities to succeed,” said Casper. “Just getting those experiences and creating relationships with the people that are in that career have helped so much.”