Students of the Month

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 [...]

U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Steven Graulau is preparing himself for life after the military by pursuing his bachelor’s degree in sports strength and conditioning from the United States Sports Academy. Graulau’s dedication to his coursework and attention to details earned the Fort Riley, Kansas, resident the Academy’s Student of the Month honor. Graulau has served the U.S. Army for almost 14 years and when his service ends, he hopes to enter the sports field as a strength and conditioning coach or athletics director. “I knew that when I retire from the military, I will need a college degree to make sure I can take care of my family,” Graulau said. “So the Academy is perfect for me right now. The sports-centered curriculum is great, because I have always loved sports, [...]

A former collegiate and professional basketball player who currently works as a paraprofessional, United States Sports Academy doctoral student Emily Hall hopes her education from the institution can help her make a positive impact on her community. A resident of Montclair, N.J., Hall is the Academy’s latest Student of the Month. She is seeking her Doctor of Education degree in sports management with a focus on sports leadership, which she plans to use to start a non-profit organization to benefit underserved and marginalized young people in the Montclair area. “I want to start a place that can be a safe haven for young people who feel different and who may be struggling to find who they are and where they belong in the world,” Hall said. “I want to provide [...]

Nathan Doza, the United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month, secured employment in the sports field after utilizing the Academy’s network of alumni working at all levels of sport around the globe. Doza holds a Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the Academy and is now enrolling to continue his education with a Master of Sports Science degree in sports exercise science from the institution. He was recently hired as an assistant men’s and women’s soccer coach at East Central (Mo.) College, where Academy alumnus Martin Clayes is the head coach for both teams. Doza has also coached baseball, soccer, and basketball at the recreational level. “The Academy’s great reputation and alumni network helped with me earning the job as an assistant coach there,” Doza [...]

Growing up racing dirt bikes and sprint cars competitively, Ashley Schnorf has always been a woman competing in a field typically dominated by men. Schnorf, the United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month, hopes her Academy education can help her stay in that same lane as she tries to break into the world of professional football. Schnorf is currently pursuing her Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the Academy. When she graduates, she’s already planned to take the next step and enter the Academy’s Master of Sports Science degree program. “I want to use my Academy education to intern and work within the professional football industry,” Schnorf said. “My overall goal is to one day become a head coach in the National Football League. I [...]

Umar Muhammad is an entrepreneur, professor, and a coach for the first cycling team at an HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) in the country. He’s also the United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month. Muhammad, who teaches sport management at St. Augustine’s University in Raleigh, N.C., is pursuing his Doctor of Education degree in Sports Management from the Academy. At St. Augustine’s, Muhammad is coaching the cycling team with fellow Academy alumnus Dr. Mark Janas. “We’re excited to be the first HBCU to formally have a collegiate cycling team,” Muhammad said. “What many may not realize is that while cycling might be new to most HBCU’s, African Americans have made huge contributions to the sport of cycling. In fact, cycling’s first superstar, and arguably sport’s first international [...]

Diego Real earned accolades for his work training young soldiers during his six-year stint as a Training Sergeant for the U.S. Army. In fact, many of his peers encouraged him to become a coach when he retired from the service. The United States Sports Academy’s latest Student of the Month, Real followed the advice from his peers and is pursuing a Bachelor of Sports Science degree in sports coaching from the institution. A native of Mexico and Iowa resident, Real hopes to use his Academy degree to become a soccer coach and aide the growth of the sport in the United States. “I would like to teach committed young people the skills I learned at the soccer academies in Mexico and other countries in order to improve the soccer culture [...]

Cheryl Tabone works as a coach, adjunct professor, and a nonprofit organization president in the Buffalo, N.Y. area. The United States Sports Academy’s Student of the Month, Tabone hopes that her doctoral education from the institution will help her earn an athletic director position at the collegiate level. Tabone already earned a Master of Sports Science dual degree in Sports Coaching and Sports Medicine from the Academy in 2018. Now, she’s seeking her Doctor of Education degree in Sports Management with a specialization in sports leadership and a focus in sports medicine. The Fredonia, N.Y., resident is also breaking down barriers in her field. She’s an assistant coach for the men’s soccer team at Buffalo State University (BSU), where she’s the only female coach on a men’s team in the [...]

Cory Baker is a high school basketball coach trying to bring people in his community together through the sport. The United States Sports Academy’s Student of the Month, Baker is using what he’s learned in his Bachelor of Sports Science degree program to aide his efforts in organizing a Hoop it Up basketball tournament in the Winston-Salem, N.C., area. Baker is pursuing his Academy bachelor’s degree in sports management. He said his courses on fundraising in sports and sports marketing and promotions have been beneficial in his quest to help his community. Baker – the head junior varsity basketball coach at Parkland (N.C.) Magnet High School – is organizing the Hoop it Up tournament as his degree program mentorship. The 3x3 basketball tournament for all ages is currently scheduled for [...]