Alumna Profile: Jennifer Shue BA ‘18

What attracted Jenn most to Saint Mary’s was the intimacy the school provided through its small class sizes. This allowed for her to develop relationships with her professors in a way not possible at other institutions. She said “Kinesiology professors were amazing, what sets them apart was that they were all personable and all care. They took the time to explain things to me, and did not just look at me like just a number on a page.” Jenn still connects with some of her former professors, naming Professors Steve Miller, Sonja Schuh, and Claire Wiliams among others, as being major positive influences on her experience at Saint Mary’s.

After completing classes at SMC in December 2017, Jenn began a new job at City Sports Club where she worked as a sales manager selling personal training sessions. After a couple of years, she decided to pursue a new opportunity working as an assistant director at eBay’s Fitness Center back near her home in San José. Jenn really enjoyed working with the tight-knit community of eBay employees who frequented the gym, however, as time went on, the slow pace of the fitness center prompted her to make another career move. She returned to City Sports Club to work as a part-time trainer, while simultaneously working as an athletic trainer at Westmont High School in Campbell. When COVID-19 hit, Jenn was in the process of getting a promotion to an operational manager position at City Sports. As a result, she was furloughed, however, she relates that she did not necessarily see it as a negative as she suddenly had time to spend with her family and quickly realized that she had previously “missed out on a lot of things” due to her hectic work schedule.              

Jenn is currently earning her master’s degree in Sport Management online at Southern New Hampshire University as she would love run her own business. She has contacted chiropractors, physical therapists, personal trainers, and others in the hopes of opening a clinic where all of a person’s training and rehabilitation needs can be met at one place, rather than multiple. Her concluding sentiment was “do things that make you uncomfortable, and take advantage of the atmosphere Saint Mary’s offers.” The social aspects of life we take for granted early on “suddenly seem a lot less important once everyone starts working.”