Perseverance and passion are two of the first words you might think of when it comes to Jeremy Howard. It took him 10 years to complete his undergraduate degree at FGCU—for good reason. This Florida Army National Guard officer was deployed three times during his studies.

While some might have given up, Jeremy persisted. He didn’t rest on his laurels, either. Today Jeremy’s career continues to grow, with a master’s degree and 36 professional credentials under his belt.

Perhaps the most surprising part of Jeremy’s trajectory, however, is that he was never really into sports growing up. He originally came to FGCU to study marine science. But on one of his deployments, he was tasked to be a trainer for his unit and his interest grew from there.

When he arrived back on campus after that deployment, he looked into Marieb College’s Department of Rehabilitation Sciences and, as he says, “The way FGCU represented the profession of athletic training just blew my mind. It has proven to be a realistic portrayal of what to expect in the field, as most of the classes were taught by professors who are also current practitioners. Everything about the program set me up for success upon graduation.”

In fact, one of Jeremy’s internships resulted in a job offer before he even graduated. “They call them clinical internships, but most often what they turn out to be are an extended interview for new hires,” he says.

The road may have been long with many a turn, but today Jeremy’s passion and persistence are stronger than ever. He’s not only training full time at Ave Maria and teaching at FGCU, but he’s also now pursuing his doctorate. Fortunately, he’s well trained to do all that running around without getting hurt.