It was just one year ago that Senior Karlye Smith sat in Gustavus’ athletic training office and Googled “athletic training internships summer of 2014.” A position with NASA immediately caught her eye as she looked through the search results. She sent in her application with high hopes, but thought it was a long shot. Much to her surprise, Karlye was one of two who received an email of acceptance over Spring Break.
“I was shocked. Completely shocked. So I emailed them back right away, accepted the position and told my mother afterword that I’d be spending the summer in Cape Canaveral, Florida,” Karlye said.
Karlye said her mother was a bit upset but there was no way she could pass up the chance to work with NASA, since it was a once in a lifetime opportunity. Karlye completed an athletic training internship with Rehab Works, the on-base injury clinic for NASA.
Reflecting upon the experience, she said it definitely didn’t fall short of expectation.
“I was there all summer. I worked Monday through Friday with therapy patients and paperwork, and on the weekends I got to go to the beach. It was a fantastic experience to see everyone’s progress that I helped. It definitely reaffirmed my desire to be an athletic trainer but made me realize that I don’t want to be in the office all day. I would like to be out on the field in the action,” Karlye said.
Being a part of the action is something Karlye likes best. Her commitment to excellence is shown best in her four-year starting position on the Women’s Soccer Team, her high achievement in the classroom, and her role in the Athletic Training Association.
“Overall, I believe Karlye to be an honest, intelligent and articulate individual who is self-motivated and demonstrates leadership qualities admired by her peers and coaches. She seeks out challenges, has an amazing capacity for fulfilling her responsibilities in a great variety of activities and possesses the rare ability of putting the success of the team over her individual accolades which is a true testament to her character,” Head Women’s Soccer Coach Laura Burnett-Kurie said.
Friends of Karlye say she’s a force to be reckoned with on the field, but off the field, she exudes kindness.
“She is one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. She is very easy to get along with and very open to new people. She is extremely caring and will go out of her way to show that,” Sophomore Roisen Grandlund said.
The warmth and compassion that her friends express can be seen in Karlye’s commitment to helping others both on and off campus. She helps with the free youth clinics, volunteers at the Special Olympics and helped organize and run the YUWA Charity game, which is a non-profit that helps build leadership skills for young women in rural India.
“Overall, I believe Karlye to be an honest, intelligent, articulate individual who is self-motivated and demonstrates leadership qualities admired by her peers and coaches.”—Laura Burnett-Kurie
Following her internship, Karlye presented to high school students who are intersted in athletic training, sophomores applying to the athletic training program, and current athletic training students about her experiences.
“Karlye has taken initiative. She shared her experiences with fellow students in order to motivate them to go out and try new things and push for great experiences. She is an inspiration to other students,” Athletic Training Program Clinical Coordinator Mary Joos said.
After Gustavus, Karlye hopes to get a job as an athletic trainer. But this year Karlye is still focused on enjoying her time at Gustavus and continuing to make connections-something that seems to come to her with ease.
“Karlye is a staple in the Gustavus community. She puts forth complete effort in everything she does. She is completely invested in every aspect of her life. She is invested with the people around her, her sport, and her studies,” Grandlund said.
-Jaurdyn Dobler
