Enjoying a day at the beach is Taylor Hendershot. (Photo Provided)

LOWELL — With a desire to help others, Taylor Hendershot, a senior at Fort Frye High School and the Washington County Career Center, is enrolled in the sports medicine and exercise science program at the center.

She is also a member of the student council at the center, a member of the National Technical Honor Society and a student ambassador for the career center.

“We learn about the body, the body’s systems and muscles,” she said.

Hendershot said in learning to be an athletic trainer, they learn certain skills and how to use them properly.

She has certifications in basic life support (CPR), stop the bleed and PTTC, or physical therapy technician certification. All are required for graduation from the career center and to get into a college program in the field.

Sliding into home at a Fort Frye High School softball game is Taylor Hendershot. She is a pitcher on the team. (Photo Provided)

“Now we are learning how to be personal trainers,” she said. “We (the students) are all athletes.”

Hendershot, who is a pitcher on the Fort Frye softball team, said she has learned how to work the muscles that are important for the sport.

“I’m working on the muscles in my arms to help me throw further and faster,” she said, “I’m working on the muscles in my legs to help with speed and as a pitcher to push off the pitcher’s mound.”

Hendershot said she has played softball for several years.

“I started with t-ball when I was 4, softball at 8 and I never stopped,” she said.

Taylor Hendershot with her National Technical Honor Society recognition. (Photo Provided)

Hendershot said she played sotfball at Fort Frye Junior High for two years and every year of high school, She said she plans to play in the 2025 season, her senior year.

Hendershot said she believes what she had learned has helped her be a better player.

“I feel like I hit harder and I run faster,” she said.

She said the other players ask her about stretching. She added she helped with taping some ankles last year.

Hendershot said the exercise science part of the program is the lab portion of the program.

Taylor Hendershot is also a member of the National Honor Society at Fort Frye High School. (Photo Provided)

“It’s when we do our workups,” she said. “It’s when we do our personal training, our treatments and our skills.”

Hendershot said her first exposure to the program was as an eighth grade student making her first visit to the career center.

“We went to each of the 15 programs for five minutes,” she said. “I really liked the setup of the classroom and Ms. Lauren Copen (the program instructor) was really nice. I liked her class because it was a traditional classroom and all the students had a positive attitude.”

Later on she said there was a second visit and the students were to pick three programs that interested them.

“Sports medicine and exercise science was my top pick,” she said. “My reason was when I walked into the classroom I felt like I was home to me and I knew that was what I wanted to do, I want to be a physical therapist assistant.”

Hendershot said she knew the program would help her reach her goal. After graduation she will be qualified to enroll in a program to be a physical therapist assistant.

“After graduation I will be in the new physical therapist assistant program” at Washington State College of Ohio, she said. “I will be in that for two years and during the last year I’m there I will have internships and clinicals.

“After I graduate from Washington State that is when I will be able to go into the workforce and actually be a physical therapist assistant.”

Hendershot said the college classes she needed for the career center program were at the career center.

“When I was applying for the career center and was told by the counselor I’d have to take college classes, I was very scared and I didn’t know what to expect,” she said. “She signed me up and I really appreciate what she did, because I wouldn’t be where I am today if I didn’t take those classes.”

Hendershot said those college classes were not as hard as she feared and she actually enjoyed many of them.

“For me they were a lot better than the basic classes and I got college credit for them,” she said. “I felt like I understood them a little better.”

Hendershot said her future plans may include going for her doctorate degree.

For now said she would like to work as an assistant in a local practice. She said she would like to work in pediatric physical therapy.

“I’d like to have a mindset on special needs,”she said.”I will be fine with working with anyone because I love to help others.

“It makes me feel amazing.”

Jeffrey Saulton can be reached at jsaulton@newsandsentinel.com

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