On the surface, sophomore Jay Jordan and graduate student Addie Heithecker appear like they would have nothing in common. Jordan is a triple major in accounting, marketing and management with a double minor in Mandarin and Russian. Heithecker graduated in spring of 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and is now working to get her master’s in kinesiology as well. But there is something deeper that connects them: their passion for fitness.

Both Jordan and Heithecker work at the E. L. Wiegand Fitness Center. Heithecker works as a supervisor in the pool and as a lifeguard and Jordan is a supervisor and oversees intramural sports. While they work in different departments of the fitness center, their love of the job is the same.

“Working at the fitness center is really great,” Heithecker said. “I specifically work at the pool and since the pool is a lot smaller than the gym, as its only one story, we have a lot of people who come in who are regulars. They come in almost every single day of the week and you start to get to know them really well. So working at the fitness center has allowed me to foster these connections with other graduate students, undergrad students, faculty and people who are just affiliated with the school.”

“I love everything about fitness and sports,” Jordan said. “I’m now a supervisor so I do the intramural sports and it's fun just seeing people come out at night and have a good time. Then they go home and all the stress of school and other problems just go away; they just get to compete and have fun, hang out with their friends and they’re not really worried about anything else, so it’s fun to see that.” 

After graduating, they both have different career goals and different desires for post-grad life.

“I think I need to take a gap year, stop school for a bit,” Heithecker said. “But after that, I do want to go to physician assistant school and get back into it.”

“I plan to become an accountant,” Jordan said. “After college I want to further my internship with Nevada Dining. Currently, I am a marketing intern and after I take my upper division classes, I am going to switch to accounting and then hopefully land a job with Nevada Dining for a few years, then transfer to a larger firm as a CPA.”

Their experiences within the fitness center are something they will never forget. Jordan has always loved sports and calls working there a “one-of-a-kind experience” and Heithecker will always remember the connections she made with the regulars at the pool. While eventually they will leave the fitness center behind, it is a time they will always look back on.