Frankie Porter

Meet Frankie Porter, an alum of the inaugural class of the Master of Athletic Training program. Frankie graduated in May of 2021 with her Bachelor of Science in Health Sciences and Master of Athletic Training degrees. 

Name: Frankie Porter
Hometown: Ankeny, Iowa
Degree Program: MAT, 2021
Current Position: Ph.D. student at Iowa State University, Kinesiology Department

Why did you want to pursue a career in athletic training?

I wanted to have clinical experience prior to applying to graduate school. At the time, I was planning to attend a DPT program and knew ATs entering DPT programs had sharper clinical skills. Drake's program made sense as I was already completing my BS at Drake.

Tell us about your current studies in the Ph.D. program. What does a typical day look like for you? What are your responsibilities?

I am currently a Ph.D. student at Iowa State University in the Kinesiology Department. I am studying Physical Activity Epidemiology, which is the relationship between physical activity, exercise, and disease. Our lab focuses on longitudinal and exercise intervention studies. I describe my current work life spread as 1/3 classes, 1/3 research, and 1/3 teaching.

What do you enjoy most about the Ph.D. program? 

It is a tie between my research and teaching responsibilities. In research, I help collect data and organize appointments for our longitudinal cohort study, called "The Physical Activity Aging Study." I greatly enjoy our older adult research participants. In teaching, I TA for undergraduate Exercise Physiology and teach two lab sections of the Exercise Physiology Lab. Our Ex Phys lab has awesome equipment, and I really enjoy working directly with students during exercise and applying class concepts in real life. 

How did Drake and the MAT program help you prepare for your career?

The absolute biggest help from Drake came from TAing for undergraduate Human Anatomy. I realized I really liked teaching and discovering concepts about the human body, even a bit more than direct-level patient care. This helped me (1) realize a Ph.D. was a better terminal degree for me than a DPT and (2) allowed me to confidently pursue a teaching job right after completing the master's program. I was lucky enough, with help from my Drake connections, to have the opportunity to teach for two full years at a private university in southern Iowa. I taught Exercise Science and Allied Health coursework. I loved this job, and still love my teaching responsibilities. I have also worked PRN with my AT license since graduating and had many awesome experiences all over the Des Moines area, where there are so many AT needs.

What did you like best about Drake's MAT program?

Every single faculty member knew me, grew me, supported me, and cared for me. I have stayed in contact with all my faculty since graduating, and they continue to do all of those things even though I am an alum. Their love and excellence in their job is so abundant, and it makes all the difference. I am smarter, more confident, and a better human because of each of them. 

What is one piece of advice you have for individuals who are considering Drake's MAT program?

Schedule a face-to-face visit and if able, in-person. You will experience the faculty, the culture, and feel what it is like on our campus.

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