Sports medicine student talks to eighth-graders

Former Carson Valley Middle School and UNR student Hardy Leiknes spoke at the 8th grade sports medicine class taught by Michelle Norris, on May 22.

Hardy is a former Carson Valley Middle School student, who also took the sports medicine class.

His mother, author Elizabeth Leiknes, is a teacher at the school and coordinated the speaking arrangement, because it was an opportunity to Norris for helping pave his future, but also to give back to the middle school that he attended for three years.

According to Hardy, it was this very class that inspired him to want to pursue a degree and career in sports medicine.

Hardy recently completed his first year at the University of Nevada, Reno, where he is majoring in kinesiology.

During his presentation, he helped the middle-schoolers understand what types of majors lead into the sports medicine field, and how many of them branch off into careers like being a nurse, personal trainer, P.E. teacher, or physical therapist.

He ended his presentation with some tips for how to be successful in high school and beyond.

Since the current 8th grade students only had three more weeks in middle-school, they were very interested in ways that they could navigate high school and ensure a positive academic experience.