Students around De Soto High School are constantly looking for opportunities to prepare for their future while simultaneously getting involved in the activities and community of the school. Josi Kral, a junior at De Soto, wanted to explore the various opportunities that the school could provide for her that also follows the career path she wants to pursue.
“I’m not exactly sure on a pinpointing career yet. But I am interested in the field of neurology and traumatology,” said Kral.
Once Josi began narrowing down career options she knew, she began searching for opportunities within the school community that also aligned with her career hopes. The process for exploring this within De Soto High School was much easier then she would have imagined.
“It actually wasn’t an open opportunity that I went and looked for or applied for. It was just kind of out of my own interest. I went to Kara [Steen] and I asked if she would be willing to have a high school student as an assistant and she said yes,” said Kral. “I didn’t apply at all…I told her my general area of interest and asked if she would be willing to have a helping hand.”
Working with Kara has given Josi not only the opportunity to begin exploring jobs, but it has also given her the opportunity to learn a wide variety of new things under Kara.
“I haven’t even scratched the surface of everything there is to be learned but everyday you get to learn something new, it’s a new injury that prompts a discussion about anatomy, that prompts a discussion about physiology, that prompts a discussion about rehab, treatment, diagnosis, all of these different things and I would say that’s the best part for me, working with Kara,” said Kral.
Every opportunity with Kara for Josi is a hands-on learning experience that can help her prepare for her future. However, there are things that Josi is restricted from doing as a student.
“I cannot evaluate for injuries. Kara sometimes with the athletes permission will let me feel something, just because that is really the only way to learn. But I cannot evaluate an injury and then I don’t do things that I haven’t watched Kara do,” said Kral. “I usually practice things on her first before I was allowed to wrap a wrist or tape an ankle, I did all of those on Kara first. I don’t ever do things for the first time on an athlete and then if worse comes to worse all extraneous procedures go through Kara first.”
Kral’s experience as a student aide has been gratifying for her, but it can be taxing given her long hours.
“On most nights I start with Kara at around 3 and then I leave probably around anywhere from 8 to 9,” said Kral. “Friday nights are a little bit different during football season. I start with her at 3 and we usually leave the school from like 10:30 to 11:00. Then it kind of just fluctuates as games move with weather cancellations, sometimes we will have soccer on a Monday.”
Despite the long hours, Josi finds her work with Kara incredibly rewarding.
“The best part of working with the athletes is definitely watching them return back to their sport. Most of them aren’t usually happy when they have to come see us, but it is kind of a different form of excitement. It is a vicarious joy watching them work so diligently through rehab and then watching them get to step back on the field,” said Kral.
Despite the overwhelmingly wonderful experience and the valuable feelings Josi has experience, working as a student aide still carries some hard aspects to it.
“The hardest part is seeing an athlete with a season ending injury, knowing that there is absolutely nothing we can do, there is no rehab, no treatment. Most of the time its surgery, its physical therapy, but they are not going to get to return,” said Kral.
Overall, the work Josi has done for Kara has not only helped her narrow down ideas for what she wants to do as a future career, but it has also been a wonderful experience for her.
