Projects help students share health information

Students in Jocelyn Glenn's health promotion class this fall have gained experience passing on their wellness knowledge to a variety of group through various hands-on opportunities. All of the students are pursuing a degree in kinesiology with a concentration in exercise science.

Glenn, a lecturer of kinesiology, encouraged students to identify a population, determine if the group had a knowledge gap on a health-related topic and hold four short meetings with the population to help close that gap. Kinesiology students have been doing similar projects for a few years now, and Glenn has been grateful to take the reins on supervising these projects in the most recent semesters.

"My role has been to help the students navigate challenges, grow professionally and recognize the meaningful impact they can have on others with the skills and experiences they have gained during their time here at UNG," Glenn said. "It’s also important to recognize that the organizations and populations that engage with this project play a pivotal role in allowing our students to learn through real-world experience. These projects challenge the students in meaningful ways, and I am incredibly proud of the dedication they show and the positive impact they have made on the populations they serve."

The highlights of this fall's projects include:

• Gabrielle Feinzig and Danielle Urban worked with UNG's Ranger Challenge team, creating six podcast episodes to discuss athletic performance and overall well-being. Ranger Challenge is the varsity sport of Army ROTC.
• Landon Greene and William Orris discussed sleep, nutrition and hydration with eighth-graders at North Hall Middle School.
• Caitlyn Petty and Claire Roper talked about stress management, adequate sleep and student environment adaptability with a pair of UNG introduction to kinesiology classes.
• Alex Withers shared information on social health, sense of belonging and social connectedness with international UNG students.

Feinzig and Urban are more used to their studies focusing on traditional athletes, so the chance to support cadet-athletes on the Ranger Challenge team was a change of pace.

"It was interesting to be able to take our information we learned and apply it to something different," said Feinzig, a senior from Cumming, Georgia.

Petty, a senior from Cisco, Georgia, was excited to be able to help freshman kinesiology students adjust to UNG and see the importance of networking. She also credited Glenn for pushing her students.

"I love how she is just so eager to get us out of our comfort zone," Petty said. "With every project, there is something new that takes place, and you're having to constantly pivot and apply what you've learned in previous classes and then actually putting that toward the population of need. I really enjoy that aspect of it."

Roper, a senior from Hartwell, Georgia, said the class project was simply another example of faculty members setting kinesiology students up for success.

"They've been through a lot of what we do as students. And so their own experiences, what they see, they encourage us with what we need to work on," Roper said. "And that has really helped me prepare for interviews and take the next step. Because the interview is a huge next step, especially for physical therapy."

Withers, who is from Portadown, Ireland, and is a junior at Ulster University back home, is studying kinesiology at UNG for the entire 2026-27 academic year. Her project assisted students who are at UNG from Austria, Belize, Chile, Norway, and Sweden. She was grateful to see that her work encouraged three of the students to join intramural sports.

"Moving away from home is not easy for anyone. Everyone has a different experience living in another country," Withers said. "So I was glad to be able to help my fellow international students make the most of their time here."

Greene, a senior from Gainesville, Georgia, enjoyed returning to his own middle school for his project. He ultimately wants to work as a nurse practitioner, and he said the kinesiology program has been instrumental in his journey.

"I've grown a lot as a person. That prepares me for my future," Greene said. "That's extremely important because there's so many facets of life that aren't just academic, but interpersonal."