Students of the Month

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 [...]

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 [...]