Katherine Mullett knew she wanted to attend UCCS in high school, and even had a job at the Gallogly Wellness & Recreation Center before her classes started.
“I remember coming to the Rec Center and seeing it, and I just fell in love,” said Katherine. “We went on a field trip for juniors and seniors to come look at colleges, and I quite enjoyed the campus. Then the Rec Center was so clean and modern and so much bigger than what I’d seen in my little hometown, and that really sold me.”
Katherine’s first job on campus was as a intramural sports official in the Sports and Youth Programming (SYP) department before transitioning to Rec Center Facilities as a fitness center monitor. She went on to be an SYP supervisor and a guest service attendant simultaneously, and halfway through her second year at UCCS she became a building manager for the facilities department, and then facilities program assistant soon after that.
It doesn’t stop there.
“Last year I got my ACE personal training certification, then became a personal trainer here and got Les Mills certified through the Rec Center to become a group fitness instructor,” said Katherine. “My primary role is the facilities program assistant and then I do group fitness on the side. I mostly handle anything that the facilities student staff has problems with. I do a lot of their scheduling and I’m their go-to person when they have questions about anything. I’m here for support and to help them grow, and to get to know them and make them feel welcomed into the community.”
“I’m also a certified health coach,” she added casually.
With a major in health sciences and minor in nutrition, Katherine plans to use her education and leadership experience to help others achieve their health and fitness goals, all while pursuing a graduate degree in nutrition.
“I enjoy management and leadership and have always found myself in many leadership positions, I think I’m just drawn to them,” she said. “I would love to help people in the preventative aspect of wellness and nutrition, and I’m applying for the master’s in nutrition. I would also love to work in community health, possibly in a nutrition-based program like WIC (Women, Infants, and Children). One of my biggest passions is women’s health, specifically eating disorders. I’m very passionate about targeting that and helping young women navigate the time in their life when they’re most likely to happen.”
With her love of health and fitness, it’s no surprise that sports are one of Katherine’s favorite pastimes.
“I’m a sporty girl, so lots of intramural sports,” she said. “Volleyball, basketball, pickleball, pick up games. I love taking walks and I’m a huge weightlifter, and I also run. So I do all of it – I’m up for anything.”
Katherine credits her mentors and experience in the Rec Center as significant aspects of her growth and journey.
“Dr. Joey Lee from the Health Sciences Department has been a huge mentor to me,” Katherine said. “He’s really helped guide me with the graduate program, life after college, becoming a better student in general, and preparing for the professional world. And my two direct supervisors, Tori Davis and Anna Bauer, have been amazing. Tori is the coordinator of facility operations and essentially the one who took me under her wing and promoted me to my position, and has helped me grow so much. Anna is the director of fitness at the Rec Center and has been so helpful with group fitness work and how to navigate working with people as a personal trainer. She’s a huge light to the Rec Center.”
“When I first came here, I was very much in a shell,” she added. “I hardly talked to anyone and I was trying to just fit in and not stand out. Since then, I’ve been growing and learning to be myself and be unapologetically authentic in all areas of my life, whether that’s in the classroom, at work or in the gym. Just showing my true colors no matter what has been huge and it’s really opened my doors to building a great community with all sorts of people and helping me connect with them. Being able to open up and really shine has been truly awesome.”
To those preparing for their own college journey, Katherine emphasized not overexerting oneself.
“Time management is huge,” she stressed. “Don’t overfill your plate because you will burn out pretty quickly. Find ways to mitigate the risk of burning out and practice self care and taking care of yourself first. I basically live at the Rec Center, so that was a huge help for me. Just finding things that fill up your cup as much as you drain it. And, listen to your body. It probably knows what’s wrong.”