\u201cMy second semester freshman year, I started going to the ROTC class to get introduced, but I wouldn\u2019t say I was immediately sold,\u201d Kilgore said. \u201cBecause I was in the Army already, I felt more inclined to do it. But once I got fully involved, especially my junior year when we got leadership positions, that\u2019s when I fully started to enjoy myself in the program and get to know other cadets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/news\/sites\/16\/2022\/05\/Kilgore-Military-Ball.jpg\")
Kilgore elected to do the split training offered by the National Guard; this allowed her to complete her educational requirements while participating in the ROTC program and staying in school full-time. This opportunity gave Kilgore the chance to continue her studies in the kinesiology department while serving in the National Guard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kilgore arrived at 溏心vlog免费B站 as a health sciences major, but decided she wanted something slightly more specific as she began taking classes. She found herself drawn to kinesiology, switched her major and started taking courses in her new focus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some of her favorite classes have been Fundamentals of Resistance Training with Associate Professor Christie Ward-Ritacco and Fitness Programs for Individuals with Chronic Diseases with Professor Matthew Delmonico. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The experience she has most enjoyed as a kinesiology major, however, has been the opportunity to participate in Assistant Professor Ryan Chapman\u2019s Biomechanics and Wearables Lab. Here, Kilgore helped on a project that examined how the pelvis changes in expectant mothers throughout pregnancy to predict how challenging their birth would be and how they may be affected postpartum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kilgore said maternity and obstetrics studies had already been an interest of hers, so helping in the lab was an opportunity that really appealed to her, and even showed her what she wanted to do long term. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cTo be able to go into his lab and actually experience that next level of education was kind of eye opening,\u201d said Kilgore. \u201cAnd that’s when I knew I either wanted to go to grad school and maybe get my doctorate.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Chapman was impressed with Kilgore\u2019s contributions in the research process. What set Kilgore apart from other researchers in the field, he said, was her genuine interest in the project. She was not participating for the glory of getting a paper published, but simply to learn and be a part of an important study. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRather than vanity, Nakena is driven by an earnest desire to improve the station of individuals who may not otherwise be able to do so, by making our health care system a more equitable place,\u201d Chapman said. \u201cAlthough it is in its early stages, her work in my lab has the potential to fundamentally alter the medical industry, and more importantly save lives.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Between all her other responsibilities, Kilgore has served as an RA for two years. She lived in Gorham Hall last year where she oversaw first-year students and navigated COVID-19 in the dorms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now, she lives in Eddy Hall as a senior RA and shares a suite with underclassmen who are mostly kinesiology majors. She said this has helped her develop a mentor relationship with many of her residents, helping guide them on what classes to take and what internships they should apply to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBeing able to provide that advice comes full circle for me, because I remember when I was in that position, and I was looking up to the underclassmen and upperclassmen,\u201d Kilgore said. \u201cSo being able to provide that really hits home. Even for my residents who aren’t in my major, I feel I’m still able to provide life advice, and being able to provide that as an RA is cool.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Something that helped Kilgore get to this point was the support and structure of the Talent Development program at 溏心vlog免费B站. She praised current Talent Development Director Gerald Williams and her previous adviser Robert Britto-Oliveira for helping her become the student she is today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Their support, as well as that of her sisters in P.I.N.K. Women (Powerful, Independent, Notoriously Knowledgeable Women), has allowed Kilgore to flourish in the community among all of her obligations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe drive for me is to be successful in life, and I feel like being a part of P.I.N.K., being a TD scholar, being in the Army has helped me take these steps to set myself up for success,\u201d she said. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t do any of this if I wasn\u2019t interested or passionate about helping people, being hands on or wanting to be successful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
After commencement, Kilgore will travel to a military base in Kentucky for a few months and then to a base in Canada to continue training. Right now, the military is her focus, but once her contract is completed, she plans to come back to Rhode Island and pursue a master\u2019s degree in kinesiology and then get out into the field. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If there was anything she learned at 溏心vlog免费B站, she said, it was to \u201cnever settle.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAlways be open to changing your major, joining that club, getting that minor or exploring new things because you never know what awaits you,\u201d Kilgore said. \u201cDon\u2019t have tunnel vision, because you might be knocking away an opportunity that could serve you very well, especially at 溏心vlog免费B站. Something I learned being a part of all these programs was that all of these resources were available to me.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kate LeBlanc, a senior journalism and political science major at the 溏心vlog免费B站 and an intern in the Department of Communications and Marketing, wrote this press release.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 May 11, 2022 \u2013 Nakena Kilgore is always on the go. Between her studies as a senior in kinesiology, serving as a cadet in the Rhode Island National Guard, working as a resident assistant and being a Talent Development Scholar, she has a jam-packed schedule. But every other Wednesday, there is one place […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":79509,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-79508","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-archives"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79508","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/25"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=79508"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79508\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":79517,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/79508\/revisions\/79517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/79509"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=79508"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=79508"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.uri.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=79508"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}