Student Spotlight
Caleb King
In the fall of 2016, MTSU student Caleb King had no idea that an elective class would change his outlook on his health — and change his life for the better.
A 100-pound weight loss journey that started in the Murphy Center and became permanent at the MTSU Campus Recreation Center, better known as the Rec, now leaves King only 15 pounds away from his desired weight.
The MTSU rising senior from Manchester, Tennessee, who now works as a supervisor at the Rec, recalls having a hard time changing his lifestyle.
He was a 19-year-old student standing 5 feet 11 inches and weighing 315 pounds when he stepped foot into health and human performance professor Shannon Josey’s health class during his sophomore year. King’s weight impacted everyday activities, and he often found himself becoming sick.
Cassidy Johnson
There’s dancing in the aisles, dance ’til the cows come home and more dance phrases than you can shake a leg at.
For MTSU junior Cassidy Johnson, her “happy dance” is not necessarily dancing the night away — it’s dancing the pounds away. About 100 pounds, to be exact.
As a freshman Honors College Buchanan Fellow in 2016, the Hoover, Alabama, native was already unhappy with her teenage weight gain and wanted no part of the “Freshman 15” — the stereotypical extra pounds students tend to add during their first year in college.
Taking matters into her own hands — or onto her feet, if you will — three years ago, she took up dancing and initiated a fitness routine at the MTSU Campus Recreation Center, beginning her weight loss adventure.
