How NIRSA Mentors Leaders in College Recreation

Michael Popke Headshot
[Photos courtesy of NIRSA]
[Photos courtesy of NIRSA]

When she was an undergraduate student at Loyola University Chicago, a career in campus recreation wasn't even on Veronica Ballinger's radar.

"I originally wanted to work in physics and engineering," says Ballinger, who has been the aquatics program and risk management coordinator for RecSports at the University of Notre Dame for going on three years. "Then I transitioned to biology/pre-medicine and decided that wasn't what I wanted to do, either. So, I transferred to the business school and picked up sport management and marketing degrees."

Ballinger worked as a lifeguard at the Halas Pool on Loyola's campus and, based on the leadership skills she'd demonstrated, her supervisor at the time, Kathryn Dunn, invited the junior to join her at the 2016 NIRSA Annual Conference & Recreational Sports Expo in Orlando, Fla.

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