Students of the Month

United States Sports Academy master’s degree student Christopher Bonilla spent most of 2020 deployed to Poland as part of the Nevada National Guard. During that time, he was able to complete much of his work toward his Master of Sports Science degree in sports exercise science because of the Academy’s flexible scheduling and 100 percent online format. Now a resident of Arlington, Va., Bonilla is the Academy’s latest Student of the Month. He recently completed his master’s thesis – studying and implementing exercise warm up strategies for a new U.S. Army fitness test – and is now seeking publishing opportunities. “The self-paced format of the Academy’s master’s degree program was beneficial to me while I was deployed overseas,” Bonilla said. “Some weeks were very busy, but others I had long [...]

Daniel Archer hopes to use his Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports management to advance his career in the sports, hospitality, and leisure industry in sunny southern California. Archer, of Los Angeles, is the United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month, selected by Academy faculty for his diligence in the classroom and attention to detail in incorporating faculty feedback into his assignments. A recent graduate of the associates degree in kinesiology program at Mount San Antonio Community College in Walnut, Calif., Archer hopes his Academy degree will open further doors in the wide open, booming sports tourism industry in the state. Archer currently works as a sponsorship scout for a sports marketing company and in grounds maintenance at a golf course in Diamond Bar, Calif. He said [...]

Dr. Lorenzo Guess is a former two-sport collegiate athlete at Michigan State who has received numerous accolades for his skill on the field and court and as a strength and conditioning coach. Now, he’s earned his Doctor of Education (Ed.D.) in sports management from the United States Sports Academy. The Academy’s latest Student of the Month, Guess is the associate head strength and conditioning coach and director of player enrichment for the Michigan State University football team. A former MSU safety (1998-2001) and basketball player, Guess is now in his 10th season on the school’s football training staff. Guess progressed through the Academy doctoral program with his wife, Bianca, who is currently in the dissertation phase of her studies. “My wife actually got me into the program and it was [...]

Melody Webb made history when she was hired as the first female athletic director at Norfolk (Va.) State University in June 2020. Webb, the United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month, is pursuing her Doctor of Education degree in sports management because of her previous connection to Academy 2011 Alumna of the Year Dr. China Jude. Webb met Jude – the current Denver Broncos Vice President of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and former collegiate coach and administrator – when they coached against each other in collegiate volleyball in previous jobs. “I knew China from my volleyball coaching days and she recommended the Academy as a good place to get my doctoral degree,” Webb said. “I want to use this degree to be able to teach in addition to [...]

Paulo Santos has worked in law enforcement for more than two decades, and when he retires from that career in three years he plans to be ready for a second career in the strength and conditioning field with a degree from the United States Sports Academy. A resident of Hopatcong, New Jersey, Santos has worked as a police officer since 1999. Prior to that, he was in the U.S. Army for four years and stationed at Fort Rucker in Alabama. He is currently in charge of his police department’s gym and holds a CrossFit Level 2 Certification. Santos is pursuing his Bachelor of Sports Science (B.S.S.) degree in sports strength and conditioning and plans to work in that field upon his 25-year retirement from law enforcement. He also plans to [...]

Fitness professional, coach, and adjunct professor Joseph Grillo is pursuing his Doctor of Education degree in sports management from the United States Sports Academy. The institution’s latest Student of the Month, Grillo plans to use his degree to become a full-time college professor and grow his personal fitness business. A resident of Brooklyn, N.Y., Grillo has worked as an adjunct professor at Kingsborough Community College and personal trainer at Demi Gods Fitness. He said the Academy’s flexible scheduling options have helped him progress through the doctoral program while working full time – especially in 2020 when the Covid-19 pandemic ravaged his community in New York. “The program allows me to complete it at my own pace, and this was even more evident during the high Covid-19 cases here in New [...]

Kevin Edwards currently works as the head men’s and women’s volleyball coach at Baruch College, an NCAA Division III school in Manhattan, N.Y. The United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month, Edwards is pursuing his Bachelor of Sports Science (B.S.S.) degree in sports strength and conditioning from the Academy and hopes to use his education to open a high performance volleyball training facility. A former Trinidad & Tobago international volleyball player (1996-2009), Edwards is a familiar face in New York volleyball circles. The Brooklyn resident coached the Baruch women’s team to its first-ever postseason win in 2019 and was voted the CUNYAC Coach of the Year. In the same year, he coached the Baruch men’s team to its first CUNYAC Championship and reached the NCAA Tournament for the [...]

Lauren Hedges was one of the United States Sports Academy’s first enrollees for its inaugural Freshman class that kicked off in January 2021. Now, after months of hard work in her Bachelor of Sports Science (B.S.S.) degree courses, Hedges was named the Academy’s latest Student of the Month. A resident of Salt Lake City, Utah, Hedges is working on her B.S.S. degree in sports strength and conditioning and she hopes to use that education to pursue a career in personal training and fitness. A mother and personal trainer in the Salt Lake City area, Hedges is part of the Academy’s first group of four-year bachelor’s degree students. Founded as a graduate school of sport in 1972, the Academy admitted its first upper-division, degree completion bachelor’s degree students in the Fall [...]

John Pantuosco has more than 30 years of experience as a teacher and coach at high schools in the Longmeadow, Mass., area. After watching his four adult children earn graduate degrees of their own, Pantuosco decided to follow in their footsteps by seeking his own master’s degree from the United States Sports Academy. The Academy’s latest Student of the Month, Pantuosco said pursuing his Master of Sports Science (M.S.S.) degree in sports studies fulfilled one of his longtime dreams. “I watched all four of my adult kids surpass me with their own graduate degrees and I was just so proud of them,” Pantuosco said. “I always said I would do the same thing one day, and now thanks to the Academy I am doing it. It is something I always [...]

United States Sports Academy doctoral student Eric Street recently presented on a topic that is near and dear to his heart at the 35th Annual Association of Applied Sport Psychology conference, delivered virtually in October 2020. Street, the Academy’s latest Student of the Month, made presentation of his research related to his scholarly paper Combat Veteran Emotional Intelligence: Lessons on Performance Under Pressure. The paper looked at the emotional intelligence of American military veterans from World War II, Vietnam, Korea, and other conflicts to study how their decision-making skills under extreme pressure can be applied by coaches in the sport profession. The research was particularly meaningful to Street, whose grandfather Alex J. Grega was among the American soldiers who stormed the beach at Normandy on D-Day – 6 June 1944.  [...]

The United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month, Fachaitte Kinslow was recently hired as the assistant director of athletics for compliance at Langston (Okla.) University. Kinslow hopes her Academy doctoral education will propel her to a role as a Senior Woman Administrator (SWA) in the collegiate ranks and inspire other women to pursue careers in the sport profession. Kinslow joined Langston University after serving as a counselor for the Oklahoma City Public Schools system for over three years. She has over 15 years of professional experience as a counselor at the high school and collegiate levels in addition to having counseling experience with mental health and substance abuse. “I absolutely love the professors and the staff at the Academy,” Kinslow said. “Everyone I have dealt with has been [...]