Summer Internship Spotlight: Tanner Jansen

Summer break is about more than having fun in the sun. For a number of Simpson student-athletes, the summer months provide an opportunity to prepare for their career. This year, SimpsonAthletics.com is taking a closer look at how eight student-athletes are making the most of their summer.

Tanner Jansen

Sport: Baseball
Hometown: Malcom, Iowa
Class this Fall: Junior
Major: Clinical Health Science
Internships: Strength and Conditioning Intern at Urbandle HS; Office Assistant at E.P. True Chiropractic

What are your primary responsibilities?

At Urbandale HS, I prep athletes with stretching, core and plyometric drills prior to beginning their workouts as well as helping them develop proper form and technique while lifting weights.

At E.P. True Chiropractic, I help reschedule patients, update patient profiles with up-to-date information, help put together new patient packages designed to meet their specific needs, design and re-create flyers and documents that allow patients to be aware of up-and-coming events that the office is holding. The job just depends on the day.

How does this position help with your career goals?

I want to become a chiropractor, so working at Urbandale HS allows me to further develop my "people skills," such as communication and managing the different types of personalities that come with a team environment.

Being in a chiropractor's office is helpful because I get to interact with patients and keep developing my communication skills, as well as getting to ask the proper and necessary questions to an in-office chiropractor without having to search for one.

Did Simpson play a role in helping you get these internships? If so, how?

Former Simpson Strength and Conditioning coach Pete Traynor gifted me with the opportunity to pursue the Urbandale HS internship, and I jumped all over it. Since my major is dealing with the clinical side of things, athletics is one of those places where this fits in. Getting to be around young adults as they strive for perfection in their desired sport is a feeling that not many people get. I am grateful that I received this internship and hope that the young student-athletes develop into not only great athletes, but great young adults because of their hard work ethic and motivation to not give up.

In West Des Moines, a student at Simpson helped me into this position. Alex Henrich sent me the information since he had an idea that I wanted to be a chiropractor, so I followed the necessary steps to apply and interviewing for the job and I have had an absolute blast every day that I have been in the office!

How has your experience as a student-athlete been helpful in this position?

Being a student-athlete, I feel that time management plays a pivotal role in the successes that one has in the classroom and on the field. Being able to find that happy medium between both is detrimental in some cases. That particular experience has helped me with these two jobs. I have not felt overwhelmed and I am ready to attack each day not knowing what obstacles I may face. I am thankful for the many opportunities being a student-athlete grants me, and I am more than excited to see where life takes me as I continue down the path God has desired for me.