Kinesiology Students Tackle Career Planning in San Jose

Kinesiology students tour the San Jose Earthquakes stadium amid a day meeting with industry professionals, including Cal Poly alumni. 

November 2025 / NEWS STORY
by Nick Wilson

A group of 18 kinesiology students recently took advantage of a thrilling opportunity to learn about career options while visiting a professional sports stadium — connecting with professionals in various industries who shared insights about their respective vocations.

On Oct. 27, the students visited San Jose Earthquakes Soccer to hear from two separate panels of speakers — one featuring health, wellness and fitness professionals (including a Cal Poly alumna) and another of front office administrators of the Major League Soccer team, including five Cal Poly alumni who now work for the Quakes.

The trip supported by donor funding to the Kinesiology and Public Health Department — as well as the commitment of Cal Poly alumni Stacey Napolitano, Mia Napolitano and Jared Shawlee to help make the event possible — students toured the stadium, gleaned insights from experts in their field and learned about potential career options.

“Walking into PayPal Park and seeing our school’s logo spread across a huge Jumbotron was surreal,” said Callum Turner, a third-year kinesiology major from Rocklin, California. “With our ever-increasing digital world, there is a premium placed on in-person events and networking opportunities. What I learned from the trip is the many different career paths someone can take as a kinesiology student, or a STEM student in general.”

Stacey Napolitano (Health and Physical Education/Fitness, `88) served on Cal Poly’s Parent Advisory Council and recognized the need for more career learning and networking opportunities for students, especially in kinesiology and public health.

“Specifically with kinesiology, student opportunities for industry connections were not as great as some of the other Cal Poly majors,” Napolitano said. “I’ve recommended trying to find ways to expose students to more opportunities. I think the students were very excited and this event was very impactful for them.”

Besides the Quakes team officials, including her daughter Mia, Stacey Napolitano helped line up speakers from her network in the Bay Area.

Mia Napolitano (Kinesiology, `23) with Cal Poly
kinesiology and public health faculty member
Nicole Hagobian.

The event featured speakers including:

• Jared Shawlee — President at the San Jose Earthquakes
• Mia Napolitano — Director of Special Events at the San Jose Earthquakes
• Prerna Aneja — Coordinator of Digital & Influencer Marketing at the San Jose Earthquakes
• Matt Cadile — Vice President of Growth at Charta Health
• Ricky Dorrego — Coordinator of Team Administrator at the San Jose Earthquakes
• Ron Kaminski — President, Founder, and Physical Therapist at MORE Physical Therapy
• Dr. Arden Lawson-Henze — Chiropractor (recently retired)
• Ricky Lewis — Former Professional Soccer Player and medical tech sales expert 
• Ashley Shen — Manager of Partnership Marketing at the San Jose Earthquakes
• Lena Van Duzer — Quakes University Rookie (Inside Sales & Community Relations) at the San Jose Earthquakes
• Dr. Dana Weintraub — CEO of Bay Area Women’s Sports Initiative (BAWSI)

Mia Napolitano (Kinesiology, `23) helped coordinate the visit and spoke to students as well. Mia has thrived in her various duties with the team, earning a Rising 25 honor from Front Office Sports, a multiplatform media and news organization covering the business of sports.

Mia interned with the Quakes as part of her senior project in kinesiology in 2021, and has worked in various roles, including positions in marketing, digital communications and special events.

“As a kinesiology major, I didn’t think about a career in marketing roles, but that’s where the opportunity was,” Napolitano said. “I took that, learned a lot and ran with it. There are a lot of non-linear and non-traditional paths that students can take and that’s what the panels were all about.”

Napolitano, a lifelong Earthquakes fan who was taken to her first game as a baby, said she thoroughly enjoys working in professional sports and navigating a career pathway that she didn’t anticipate as a college student.

“The whole day of the Cal Poly visit was centered around many non-traditional career paths and non-linear paths,” Napolitano said. “The one through-line between the panelists was where they initially thought they’d be, and where they are now, was not the same. I think that was a very cool commonality.”

Students left San Luis Obispo about 5 a.m. to make the full-day trip north, accompanied by kinesiology and public health Professor Nicole Hagobian; Dean Wendt, dean of the Bailey College; and Morgen Marshall, assistant dean of advancement and external relations.

“I know I want to go into physical therapy,” said Gabriella Romero, a third-year kinesiology major from Hollister, California, who plans to graduate this spring. “There is more you can do with this degree. For example, Ron Kaminski mentioned that earning an athletic training credentials on top of a doctorate of physical therapy degree can open the door to for professional sports teams — like the Quakes.”

Turner said that he’s considering career options in sports marketing, medical and pharmaceutical sales.

“That being said, after chatting with one of the panelists (Cadile) who is working within an AI healthcare startup and connecting with another one of his team members last week, I am also keenly interested in the cutting edge of healthcare technology and being able to help as many people as possible.”

Hagobian — the Kinesiology Senior Project coordinator — said the experience helped to offer some valuable advice as “many students who are close to graduation have feelings of uncertainty and even anxiety about their future.”

That included guidance on networking and the diversity of opportunities available to them.

“All of the panelists encouraged the students to think outside of the box and to ‘just say yes’ to opportunities that come their way, with the confidence that their academic preparation at Cal Poly will provide a strong foundation for success in any career,” Hagobian said. “Hearing this from people who have found so much success in their careers, I believe eased some of the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty many students have about pursing their education and/or career post undergraduate studies.”

Another recent Cal Poly alumna, Ellie Buerk (Agricultural Business and Management, `24), a pharmaceutical sales representative from Syneos Health, was unable to attend due to sickness but made herself available to answer student questions anyway.

Returning to campus energized and enthusiastic about the trip, Turner said: “Knowing that there are industry professionals out there who want nothing more than to help us succeed really helps put any fears at rest and helps me overcome a dread of failure when it comes to asking for help or a warm introduction.”

To help fund future opportunities for students, please consider a gift to the department here.

Kinesiology students in attendance at the San Jose Earthquakes visit listen to professionals during a speaker panel talk.