Originally published on September 21, 2021.
Taya Cox from Malad City, Idaho, knew she was going to attend SUU after a single campus tour in 2016. The friendly atmosphere and beautiful scenery struck a chord with her, and that was only the beginning of how the school would affect her life.
During her time at SUU, Taya earned a degree in exercise science, but the applications of that knowledge extended far beyond sports and exercise. As she puts it, “In a lot of my classes, I got to learn about how people work, not just anatomically, but mentally. It helped me to better connect with the people around me in so many different ways.”
This understanding of people and interpersonal skills translated directly to Taya’s current, successful position as a recreation coordinator assistant in West Haven, Utah. What’s more, it’s a career that she consistently enjoys. “I love this job because I get to help children find and develop their different interests,” she says.
Taya is responsible for helping coordinate youth sports year-round. This means getting players and coaches registered, setting up teams, planning out practice and game times, and more. She even helps kids learn the specific skills needed for some sports. While this list certainly seems intimidating, Taya says that she is able to confidently tackle each task due in part to the things she learned about herself while studying at SUU.
“I learned I can do so much more than I thought I was capable of. I really got out of my comfort zone. SUU helped me to balance so many different aspects of my life. I learned to take control of my life and how I want it to play out,” she says.
Taya’s success is a testament to T-Birds’ resilience and her own hard work. The first time she applied to her current position was after graduation. As part of the application process, she spent hours designing a theoretical soccer program, including budgeting, scheduling, and potential benefits and drawbacks.
“It was hours and hours of work, but I felt so accomplished after doing it. My boss even told me that if we ever decided to offer soccer, I would be the one to spearhead it.” Despite this seemingly glowing approval, her application wasn’t accepted at the time.
A few months later, the position opened up again. Undeterred by her previous rejection, she reapplied and was met with a more favorable outcome. “The job was mine if I wanted it. I knew I did. I have always loved helping people to learn and grow in new things,” she says.
Taya now lives in Salt Lake City, where she loves to spend time with her family and be outdoors. She has aspirations to start offering softball pitching lessons to her community.
Tags: Outdoor Recreation
