Rebecca Cooper – Health Promotion & Wellness, 1996

Rebecca Cooper

Bachelor of Science in Education (December, 1996)

Major:  Health Promotion and Wellness

Dear Dr. Dugas:

            I guess you could say I was the “guinea pig” for my major.  I started out in Elementary Education in the fall of 1991 but I had always been interested in teaching Health and Fitness, but Health and P.E. wasn’t exactly what I was looking for.  One day after an aerobics class with Ms. Jo Charles I stopped by to talk to her about my options.  She happened to have a copy of a new curriculum that was in the works and after hearing me talk about what I wanted to do she showed it to me feeling it would fit my needs.

           The curriculum was Health Promotion and Wellness and it was in the development stage.  The minute I saw it, I knew it was right for me.  So I made an appointment to see Mrs. Jackie Benedik, one of the creators of the program.  She was surprised, to say the least, that anyone had seen the program already and wasn’t exactly ready to let anyone enroll in it.  After a little persuasion, I was able to convince her to let me give it a try.  From that point on, Jackie followed me closely to get feedback on how everything was going and what I was learning.

The curriculum changed quite a bit throughout my years at USL and I felt honored to be a part of this new field.  One of the best things about it was the hands on experience I obtained from various internships at different locations practicing health promotion.  From the very beginning, I was given the opportunity to see what types of career options I could pursue with my degree.

The Health and Physical Education Department was like a family to me.  All of the faculty cared so much for their students and have continued to be a great resource upon which I can call throughout my career.  I am now employed at Our Lady of Lourdes Health Promotion Center and I love what I do.  I feel confident in helping our clients achieve their goals in  leading a healthier lifestyle through the knowledge I obtained from the wonderful instructors at USL.  I will always have fond memories of my time spent there.

(Special thanks to Jackie Benedik, Susan Lyman, Dr. Ed Dugas, Dr. Jim Clemons, and Dr. Jerry George)

Sincerely,

Rebecca Cooper, B.S., C.H.E.S., C.P.T.