Name: Abigail (Abby) Kramer

Major: Movement science

Q: What are you involved in that you would like our community to know about?

A: Prior to my time at the University of Michigan, I was a competitive gymnast, and I also coached gymnastics for multiple years. Both playing and officiating flag football and soccer for the university's intramural sports program gave me an outlet to continue my love for competition, make new friends, and provide others with a safe and enjoyable environment to engage in physical activity.

Recently, I tore my ACL and meniscus playing, and I went through an ACL reconstruction surgery at the end of last year. Because of this, I had the opportunity to participate in a research study led by faculty at the School of Kinesiology that gave me much more insight into the processes of performing research and the importance of kinesiology in a clinical setting. This experience has also shown me how important it is to be educated about how you should treat your body and mind to optimize your health.

Q: What is your most memorable moment with the School of Kinesiology?

A: My most memorable moment with the School of Kinesiology was in my very first kinesiology class, which also happened to be my first college class ever. In AES 218, Emergency Response, I vividly remember one class where we learned to backboard a victim who sustained trauma to the head, neck, or back.

There was a group of four or five of us who were tasked with strapping one of our peers to a backboard and safely transporting them across the room. I remember being so in awe of how goal-oriented and focused everyone in the class was, and how we all equally contributed to the task. It made me realize that I was in the right place and that these people wanted the same things as me. It was also crazy fun!

Q: What makes the School of Kinesiology unique?

A: I think there are a lot of things that make the School of Kinesiology unique. The first thing that comes to mind is the amount of hands-on learning we do. In our musculoskeletal anatomy lab (MOVESCI 231), we are given the opportunity to examine different models of muscles in the human body. With the school's 3D printers, we were each able to choose a bone to have printed, where we then were able to explore on our own where muscles might insert or attach, giving us a deeper understanding of human anatomy. We even have the privilege of viewing plastinated cadavers that are preserved unbelievably well and that have been graciously donated to the school.

More recently, in one of the movement science special topics classes, the Art of Anatomy (MOVESCI 313), we were given an amazing opportunity to examine early anatomy books at the Special Collections room in the Hatcher Graduate Library (see main picture). We not only got to view early depictions of human anatomy by artists like Leonardo da Vinci and anatomists like Andreas Vesalius, but we even got to turn the pages.

The School of Kinesiology is also unique in its smaller class sizes that give students more one-on-one time with the professors and material as well as the camaraderie between the students in all three majors who have the same goal of bettering knowledge and access to sports, physical activity, and health all over the world. The number of chances we are given as students not only to learn at a high level but also to apply our knowledge to problems is what makes the School of Kinesiology one of a kind.

Q: What was your favorite experience in your program/degree?

A: My favorite experience in the program would actually have to be a test I took. In the AES 218 course, we had to do an individual practical skill test with our instructor as a part of our emergency responder certification. I remember being really nervous about forgetting a step or administering CPR wrong. I walked into that room, I administered an EPI pen, performed CPR, rescue breathing, I used a practice AED on a dummy, and I crushed that test. It was my absolute favorite test ever.

Q: Did you have an a-ha moment — a time when your perspective shifted — in the program?

A: My perspective definitely shifted when I got to experience the clinical applications of my degree during my time participating in research through the university's Biomechanics Lab. While being closely exposed to the processes of an actual research laboratory, I finally began to grasp not only the importance of movement science in the healthcare field but also how much I actually enjoyed learning about the mechanics of the body.

Q: How has the School of Kinesiology prepared you for your post-graduation goals?

A: Although I'm not yet positive as to the exact path I plan to take after graduation, the School of Kinesiology has helped give me plenty of options. Right now I think my biggest goal post-grad is along the lines of teaching. Both the curriculum of the movement science major and the teaching staff have not only furthered my love for learning and cultivated my interest in the different mechanisms of the human body, they have also helped me realize that education is something I'm passionate about sharing with others. Being in the School of Kinesiology, I am especially interested in being able to help educate others on how to make exercise productive, accessible, and fun.

Q: What is your favorite thing to do in Ann Arbor?

A: My absolute favorite thing to do in Ann Arbor is honestly just to walk. I love to walk with friends — it's a great way to exercise and socialize. You can walk through campus, downtown, the Arb, or any other park, and you'll have a new experience each time. My favorite time to walk is in the winter, especially when it snows and the atmosphere is just ethereal. The walkability of Ann Arbor is like no other city I've been to. The architecture is unreal, the trees are beautiful in every season, and the sidewalks allow for large amounts of foot traffic. Ann Arbor is a walker's dream.

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