Abby Culver, 18, has been a student trainer for sports teams at Edmonds-Woodway High School. After being treated for a brain tumor, she decided to pursue an interest in sports medicine. She will begin classes at Washington State University in August.
Question: What’s your role with the sports teams?
Answer: Student trainer. Football for three years, basketball for the last two years.
I did boys soccer my sophomore and junior years. And I went to state with boys soccer last year and girls basketball last year. This year, I went to playoffs with boys basketball.
Q: What got you interested in sports training?
A: Sports medicine is something I’ve done for the last three years. I loved the atmosphere of football games, knowing I can make a difference, seeing players who are injured, watching them rehabilitate, and seeing them able to play again and be successful.
Q: Was there some specific thing that drew you to sports training?
A: When I was a freshman in March of 2014 I found out I had a brain tumor the size of a golf ball or plum growing in my brain. That was pretty scary and random. I had a lot of headaches, small seizures and migraines closer to the diagnosis. I got a MRI and they told me to go to the emergency room immediately.
Q: Did you have to have an operation?
A: Yes. I had operation and they removed it. It hasn’t come back. They said I was born with it and it grew really slowly for years and years. That experience made me a lot more interested in medicine. It gave me an appreciation for health care and health care professionals.
Q: Did that influence the classes you took?
A: The next year I took sports medicine. I wanted to be one of those people who helped people like my doctors and nurses helped me.
Q: What’s your GPA?
A: 3.99. I’ve always really liked school and getting good grades and learning has been really important to me.
Q: What Running Start classes have you taken at Edmonds Community College?
A: English, psychology, medical terminology, art appreciation, personal finance, African-American History and Pacific Northwest History.
Q: Can you tell me about the award you recently won at the school district’s Scholar-Athlete Banquet?
A: It was a $3,000 scholarship.
Q: How did you become interested in attending Washington State University?
A: Well it’s kind of a funny story. I’m totally a planner. So two to three years ago, I started making lists of colleges. WSU was not on any of them. Then I actually started looking at the schools. Most didn’t have the programs that I want. I’m going to study kinesiology or sports science.
My mom finally convinced me to go visit WSU. I visited last April and really liked It. It’s a beautiful campus. The sense of community there really drew me in and their athletic facilities for what I would be doing, sports medicine. They have great athletic training rooms.
Q: You said you’re a planner. WSU starts in mid-August. Are you already packed?
A: No, but I’ve got a list. I’ve begun planning a little bit and making a list of things I’ll need in my dorm.
Q: Will you need a master’s degree to pursue your future job goals?
A: I know the field. I’m not sure of the career. I want to do something in medicine, more specifically sports medicine. I don’t have a specific job.
With kinesiology I can do a strength and conditioning minor to still work with athletes. I can keep my options open that way and explore some different interests I have in sports medicine.
I have four years to figure it out.
Sharon Salyer: 425-339-3486; salyer@heraldnet.com.
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