Student turns exercise science into a stepping stone for her next move      

It’s graduate school or bust for College of Health and Human Services student Anna Shimota.

Shimota, who will graduate during UNC Charlotte’s first-ever summer commencement ceremony August 9, sped through her bachelor’s degree in exercise science in three years with a 4.0 cumulative grade point average.

“It wasn’t fully intentional. It just happened,” she said about her GPA achievement.

She’s hoping her stellar grades along with participation in student organizations and an internship will make her standout on graduate school applications.

Shimota is taking everything she learned about exercise science and applying it to a master’s in occupational therapy. Entry into the occupational therapy profession can only be achieved at the master’s or doctoral degree level.    

The College of Health and Human Services offers the exercise science program through its Applied Physiology, Health, and Clinical Sciences department. “Exercise science was the closet major that covered topics for occupational therapy. It had pretty much every science prerequisite that you need for occupational therapy grad school,” Shimota said.

Her favorite course was Exercise Testing: Principles and Application where she learned how to measure heart rates and take blood pressure readings among other things. Her ultimate goal is to work with children as an occupational therapist in a hospital. “I’ve always wanted to assist those who needed a little more help with certain things.”

One of her final acts before graduating is a 10-week internship at Atrium Health’s rehabilitation facility in Charlotte, which she will finish at the end of July. During the internship, Shimota observes the various work being done by occupational therapists. “Though I’m not hands on, I’m seeing the different strategies, techniques, and suggestions the therapists make,” she said.

Life on and off campus

Throughout her time at UNC Charlotte, Shimota held various part-time jobs including a stint at Starbucks and as a campus desk assistant. For two semesters, she served as a student communication consultant for the University’s Communication Across the Curriculum program. For the Introduction to Exercise Science course, which has an enrollment of nearly 200 students each term, Shimota designed active-learning in-class activities, provided formative feedback to students, curated instructional materials, and helped develop an interview assignment.

One of her favorite jobs, and one that’s ongoing, is providing pet sitting services through the Rover app.

The self-described introvert said she stayed in her dorm room a lot but did venture out once in a while. One of her favorite campus happenings was the petting zoo, a semi-annual event hosted by the American Marketing Association, where students pay $5 to spend quality time with alpacas, piglets, rabbits, baby goats, and other animals.

Now enjoying off-campus living in her first apartment, Shimota looks back at her time at UNC Charlotte with pride in her academic achievements and in her personal growth. “I’ve moved the needle a bit on my introverted tendencies,” she said. “And I’m giving myself more credit than I used to.”  

Photos provided by Anna Shimota.