Research by Kendra Holte ’19 received presentation invitation

Research based on the Ripon College senior thesis of Kendra Holte ’19 had been accepted for presentation at the American College of Sports Medicine conference this spring. Although the conference was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was still an accomplishment.

Holte is pursuing her master’s in kinesiology at Kansas State University. She used her senior thesis study to create an abstract for submission as a part of her research credit hours.

For the thesis, she ran a study with faculty and staff participation in a workout program called StrongBodies. Participants were given eight exercises to complete twice a week for eight weeks. The goal was to “understand the effects of an eight-week resistance training program on the fundamental physical components of muscular endurance, strength, gait speed, flexibility, and balance, as well as sleep habits, pain levels, and quality of life,” Holte says.

She was assisted on the project by Mark Cole, associate professor of exercise science, and Brittany Followay, assistant professor of exercise science.

At Ripon, Holte majored in exercise science with an emphasis in athletic training. While at Ripon College, her plans changed from pursuing further study in physical therapy school to pursuing a master’s degree in kinesiology.

Her Ripon studies have impacted her success in her master’s program, she says. “There has been content overlap, where my foundational understanding came from Ripon and I have been able to work through new content with application skills some of my senior year courses really focused on,” she says.

She says the connections she made at Ripon — through four years on the volleyball team, as a member of Alpha Chi Omega, within the Department of Exercise Science and the community at large — she says she learned and grew as a person and a young professional.

(Photo: Kendra Holte ’19 presenting at Ripon College in 2019)