Beyond Sports Internship Prepares Chasser for Life After Competitions
While many college students are enjoying summer vacation, South Carolina rising senior swimmer Caroline Chasser is putting in the hours to not only get herself ready for next year in the pool but also prepare herself for life after sports. She is currently interning at Drayer Physical Therapy in Columbia as part of the Athletics Department’s Beyond Sports Summer Internship and Professional Development program.
“I’m getting experience by doing some shadowing, getting to know the patients, and helping out when they’re doing some exercises,” said Chasser, who is studying public health and is still deciding whether to go to physical therapy or nursing school when she completes her undergraduate work. “I didn’t want to go straight into a hospital to shadow people because I thought that would overwhelm me. I’m hoping this will prepare me for what I want to do in nursing. I’ve made a lot of connections.”
Beyond Sports is a professional development and summer internship program that provides student-athletes with a meaningful professional development and work experience, while also helping them to be better prepared for professional life after college.
“Through Beyond Sports, we’ve had the chance to talk to athletes who have been successful. It’s reassuring to hear about them becoming so successful even though they have so much on their plate as a student-athlete.”
“I enjoy getting to talk and help people,” Chasser said. “Through Beyond Sports, we’ve had the chance to talk to athletes who have been successful. It’s reassuring to hear about them becoming so successful even though they have so much on their plate as a student-athlete.”
The Winter Park, Florida, native is no stranger to having a lot on her plate during the school year with multiple training sessions, weights, classes, and travel, and although she’s not competing in the summer, the schedule doesn’t exactly ease up.
“The biggest challenge is time management,” Chasser said. “I’ll have morning practice from 6 to 8 a.m., and then from 8 to 9 we do lifts, and then I drive to my internship and do that from around 10 until 1, and from 1:30 to 3:30 I’ll have an afternoon practice. Then on Mondays, we’ll have a Beyond Sports meeting at four in the afternoon. I’m exhausted by the end of the day, but it’s preparing me for the real world and what I’m going to have to do in a few years.”
Swimming has been a big part of her life, and although it takes up a lot of her time, it has created a lot of great memories.
“I’ve been swimming for about 15 years,” Chasser said. “What first got me into it was that my dad swam in college, and my brother and I grew up swimming. Having that connection with them was one thing, and then when I got older, the team connection was another thing. Getting to college is different because you’re on this really big team, but I’ve loved it.”
