Student Spotlight: Kendra Cooper

Helping One WSU Athlete at a Time

By Katie Duncan – College of Education

There is nothing quite like the roar of the crowd in Martin Stadium on Cougar Football Saturday as fans from all over cheer on the Cougs. For Kendra Cooper, she is working tirelessly on the sidelines to keep the players healthy and playing the sport that they love.

Cooper is a senior at Washington State University studying athletic training through the College of Education.

Cooper has loved sports since she was a little kid, and she knew she wanted sports to be a part of her career and she wanted to help people so sports medicine was the perfect fit.

Once in a Lifetime Moments

The athletic training program offers students the opportunity to work with various WSU teams in order to gain clinical experience.

Cooper has had the opportunity through the program to work and travel with the WSU football team and witness some of their best wins and moments.

“My favorite experiences have come from my clinical education. I was a student athletic trainer on the sideline when we beat Oregon when College Gameday was here 2 years ago. That was incredibly exciting. I have also enjoyed my experiences traveling with the football team this year as they have been incredibly fun,” Cooper said.

Cooper has been no stranger to adapting and pivoting in her program and job with WSU football due to the pandemic.

“COVID has changed almost everything about what life looks like now but it has definitely taught me to be adaptable and to persevere through a sea of unknowns. It has taught me to go with the flow and find the positives in the little things every day to avoid being weighed down by an abundance of negativity,” Cooper said.

Going through the athletic program has prepared Cooper for a career in sports medicine, while allowing her to experience being a part of the WSU community.

“My favorite part of my program this far is all of the experiences it has provided me with and the opportunity it has afforded me to meet so many incredible people. It has made WSU feel like home and for that I am very thankful,” Cooper said.

The College of Education has allowed Cooper to work toward her degree while being a part of a family atmosphere both financially and within the classroom.

Cooper won the Mildred B. Wohlford scholarship as well as the Orville & Marion Endowed Scholarship in Athletic Training through the College of Education.

“The college of education fosters an incredible environment for interdisciplinary learning through varying student research conventions and outreach programs. They really want the COE to be like one big family and it definitely feels that way in a lot of what they do,” Cooper said.