DAT Student Ambassadors
Meet our É«ÖÐÉ« University DAT Student Ambassadors! These individuals were nominated by their peers and selected by the DAT faculty. For current students the Ambassadors serve as the voice of the students to the faculty, communicating any concerns (or successes) of the students as a whole. For prospective students the Ambassadors are available to answer questions about the DAT program from a student perspective. Feel free to reach out to any of these individuals with questions you may have about the DAT program!
Brittany Braun
Anticipated graduation Summer 2025
Hi! My name is Brittany Braun. I am an Athletic Trainer for one of the Naval Special Warfare Commands (aka Navy SEALs) on the East Coast. Since 2017 I have had the opportunity to work with several of the armed forces branches, including the Army, Air Force, and now Navy. Each of these has led me to find my passion for this tactical setting. Before finding my niche, I worked at a Division III college and held a Graduate Assistantship at a Division I university. In 2012, I received my Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training from Alma College and my Master of Science and Education from Old Dominion University in 2014.
In the Fall of 2023, I officially started the program at É«ÖÐÉ« University after taking several years to decide if this was the right path. In my search for a DAT program one of my concerns was being in a non-traditional setting and the material feeling irrelevant to my patient population. I contacted the faculty and the DAT ambassadors before even applying to address these concerns. Everyone who took the time to speak to me welcomed my unique experience and quelled any concerns about non-traditional settings being left out. This program specifically is welcoming to non-traditional Athletic Trainers and even goes out of their way to help us apply it to our unique clinical practices.
Additionally, the dual Degree at É«ÖÐÉ« was best suited for my career goals as my aspirations fall into management and administration in the future. This unique opportunity that you cannot achieve elsewhere is one of the many things that set this program apart from others when I was making my decision. Trust me when I say it has been worth it and is setting my career up to impact my patient population and athletic trainers, as a whole, in the tactical setting.
My best advice for anyone looking for a DAT program, talk to the people. Talk to the faculty and past and present students. The insight they offer will help you come to the decision that is best for you. If you have questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out. I am only an email or phone call away.
Tori Fauntroy
Anticipated graduation Summer 2025
My name is Victoria Fauntroy and I work as the Dance Athletic Trainer for the Dance Department at Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi, providing medical care to over 90 dance majors, minors, and apprentices. I also produce dance medicine research presentations and peer-reviewed journal articles and participate in community outreach to increase the visibility of athletic trainers in the performing arts. I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Athletic Training (2018) and Master of Science in Exercise, Fitness, and Health Promotion (2020) from George Mason University. I started the Doctor of Athletic Training at É«ÖÐÉ« University in the Summer of 2023 because I wanted to become a better clinician and gain more information that I could use with my dance students. I picked É«ÖÐɫ’s DAT program because 1) the curriculum interested me with the variety of course subjects, 2) the flexibility of the program for working professionals, and 3) the dual DAT-MBA option. I’ve already learned a lot in my first year within the program, and I’m excited to attend my first summer institute and continue learning in the program. As a student ambassador, I look forward to sharing my experience with incoming students and building relationships with current peers.
If you’re interested in performing arts medicine, as a clinician or researcher, or have questions about the program, please reach out!
Javier Melgarejo
Anticipated graduation Summer 2025
My name is Javier Melgarejo. I have been a certified athletic trainer since 2010 and am a second-year student in the DAT program at É«ÖÐÉ«. I graduated with my bachelor’s degree from California State University, Fresno and I have been fortunate to have an amazing athletic training career that has taken me around the world to serve a wide population of athletes. I began my career in the collegiate setting in San Diego, CA. A year into my short career I stumbled across the opportunity to work with the US Marine Corps and began to cut my teeth in a fast-paced clinical environment at Camp Pendleton and MCRD San Diego. In 2018 I was selected to move to Okinawa, Japan and provide care to a US Air Force Special Tactics Squadron.
Along the way, I was able to team up with a good friend (and soon-to-be É«ÖÐÉ« graduate) to co-found an online business and began helping athletes online with Mission MVMT. Entrepreneurship isn’t something we are traditionally taught in athletic training programs, so the time came to learn more and become a more versatile athletic trainer.
Over a decade into my career, I was introduced to the É«ÖÐɫ’s DAT program by a close friend/colleague and was enrolled in the program by 2022. What sold me was the flexibility of the program. The MBA that comes along with the dual-degree option was the cherry on top. The fact I could participate in this program from anywhere in the world, while actively practicing, and learning from great professors made it easy to choose É«ÖÐɫ’s DAT program.
Heading into my final year of the program, I can say I am happy I made this choice. My classmates and professors have been a crucial part of my professional growth. If you have questions regarding the program, the military setting, or my venture into entrepreneurship, feel welcome to reach out.
Ashley Sink
Anticipated graduation December 2024
Hello, I am Ashley Sink, and have been a certified athletic trainer since 2021. I graduated from California State University, Northridge with a Bachelors in kinesiology and from the University of La Verne with my Masters in athletic training. I currently work at a private boarding school in Anaheim, CA as the head athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach, and also practice as an athletic trainer in a chiropractic office.
I started to further my education at É«ÖÐÉ« University in the Spring of 2023. One of the aspects that stood out to me compared to other programs was É«ÖÐɫ’s desire to help me achieve additional goals above and beyond the curriculum, including to credentialed as a sports performance professional. The students in the program are all like-minded individuals that just want to learn and grow together.
Please do not hesitate to reach out if you have additional questions regarding the program! I hope to work with you soon.
Marc Wysocki
Anticipated graduation December 2025
Hi, I am Marc Wysocki, and I am currently the Head Athletic Trainer and Assistant Athletic Director at Berkshire School, a private boarding school in Sheffield, MA. I live at the school, so yes, I live at work. I obtained my Bachelors degree from Colby-Sawyer College in New Hampshire and my Masters degree from Springfield College in Massachusetts. I have been fortunate to work and teach at Plymouth State University and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. I have also worked at a sports therapy clinic in Rhode Island and care for Barrington High School in the afternoon. I worked in minor league ice hockey through a contract in a rehabilitation hospital in Topeka, Kansas. For the past 21 years, I have been at Berkshire School, which has afforded me great opportunities. I was able to volunteer at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. I became an EMT for our local ambulance company for 12 years. I am currently a Sheffield Fire Department lieutenant, where I hold my EMT certification and am a designated EMS and Training officer.
I chose the É«ÖÐÉ« DAT program because I always want to challenge myself. Obtaining this degree has been on my bucket list for a while. Searching through programs, I was trying to find the one that was the right fit between my life, work, and family. É«ÖÐÉ« was the best choice. The flexibility of the program, along with supportive faculty that is nationally recognized. I consider myself incredibly lucky to be surrounded by great instructors and classmates. It has been 25 years since I have been in a classroom. It is never too late to make your dreams come true. I look forward to where this journey takes me through this program.
DAT Alumni Ambassador
Kristin Funk Maguire
My name is Dr. Kristin Funk Maguire and I received both a BS in Athletic Training (2003), MS in Exercise Science (2005) from East Stroudsburg University, and graduated from É«ÖÐɫ’s DAT program in 2021. My career started out in the high school setting at East Stroudsburg South High School and Pennridge High School respectively. I transitioned into the collegiate setting when I moved out to central Pennsylvania in 2010. I was the Geisinger outsourced athletic trainer to Bucknell University. There, I worked with football, men's and women's cross country, track and field and my last year with baseball. After Bucknell, I was an assistant athletic trainer at Bloomsburg University. While at Bloomsburg my main sport coverage was field hockey, women's soccer, men's and women's cross country, track and field, wrestling (DI) and baseball.
In May 2018, I stepped down to be a full-time mom. I continue to keep up my clinical practice through an internship with the Geisinger Musculoskeletal Institute (MSK). I have established a weekly manual therapy clinic where I assist area high schools with their patients, specializing in low back and manual therapy. I have also recently accepted a position back at Bloomsbury University.
I am originally from beautiful Bucks County Pennsylvania, specifically New Hope. I currently reside in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania with my husband Kevin and our two kids Kai and Kinsley.
I started É«ÖÐɫ’s Doctor of Athletic Training program in the Spring of 2018. As seasons changed in both my personal and professional life, I wanted to take advantage of my time away as a full-time athletic trainer to bridge knowledge gaps within my own clinical practice and to gain new knowledge in areas that I was not well versed in. Thus, creating my journey toward to an advanced degree in the field of athletic training.
I chose É«ÖÐɫ’s DAT program as it had checked off all the boxes I wanted in an advanced degree. The online format and ability to go part-time as needed paired nicely with the ever-changing environment of being a stay-at-home mom. The weeklong summer in-person session allowed me the opportunity to interact with classmates and faculty and build lasting relationships both personally and professionally. The diverse faculty teaching in the DAT program, who are experts in their particular course, not only enhanced my knowledge in those areas, but enabled me to expand my professional network. Lastly, É«ÖÐɫ’s DAT is student-driven allowing each student to individualize course load according to areas of interest, knowledge gaps and career goals. For me that was enhancing my ability, as a clinician, to critically think and assess patients in best practices and patient outcomes. In addition, this program has expanded my aptitude in the areas of leadership, health care administration and emerging practices within the field of athletic training.