Meet Our Students
Laura Richins
- Hometown
- Wellesley, Mass.
- Major
- Athletic training
Why USM?
The athletic training program is great. I was really impressed with it. USM’s athletic teams are good, and the facilities are good. I chose USM because my family lives in both Wellesley, Mass., and Machias, and I wanted to go to school somewhere between the two.
What do you like about the athletic training program at USM?
I really like the diversity of the program. Students are from all over. You get to work with multiple professors, and you have to find things out in different ways.
Have you had the chance to work in the community related to your area of study?
Clinicals start in the fall of your sophomore year, both on campus and off campus. You can work with USM teams, high school teams, at physical therapy clinics, or in a hospital, depending on what setting you’re looking for.
What are your professors like?
Overall, they’ve been extremely helpful. They’re easy to meet with, easy to ask questions of. As far as my program goes, the professors are really focused helping you move forward, helping you find opportunities if you’re looking for them.
Jeff Walker really challenged me in my anatomy and physiology class. It’s a year-long course, and it was my first college class! It’s a lecture and he walks in the first day and says, “There are 300 of you, and not all of you will pass.” That was a shocker! He encouraged us to ask a lot of questions, to meet up and study for exams. He gave us a lot of opportunities to do well. I got an A-minus in the first semester and a B-plus in the second.
What do you know now about USM that weren't expecting when you first arrived here?
I didn’t know about Robie-Andrews’ Community of Artists. All my friends are art majors, and that looks really fun.
What is the student body like?
Everyone is really different. You never stop meeting people.
When you're not in class or studying, how do you entertain yourself around here?
Usually I go to Portland, out to eat or to hear live music. The city’s not so small that you won’t find something new, but it’s not so big that you get lost in it.
Where do you live and why?
I lived in Woodward Hall, but in the fall I’ll be in the Community of Artists in Robie-Andrews Hall.
What is Portland's best-kept secret?
Monument Square. There are so many great restaurants.
What’s next after USM?
Graduate school, either for physical therapy or something else related to the athletic training field.
