Before Howard University athletes take the field for morning practice, the work to prepare them for competition has already begun by Howard’s Student Aides.
Jasmine Amini, a third-year sports medicine major from Centreville, Virginia, works as a student intern in Howard’s weight room for several teams, including track and field, softball, swimming and soccer. She also serves as a lead manager for Howard women’s basketball.
Amini’s shifts begin at 5 a.m., before the first group arrives.
“There’s so many moving parts to a successful team,” Amini said. “To ensure that our athletes are getting the best care and to ensure that they’re able to do their job, we need to make sure that we’re able to do our job.”
For Yashaiya Yisrael, a senior sports medicine major from Daytona Beach, Florida, that work begins before sunrise as a student aide working primarily with Howard football.
Student aides spend hours around the same teams each week, placing them alongside athletes during injuries, setbacks and moments of frustration.
“Yes, you can’t play right now, but let me be a shoulder for you to lean on,” Yisrael said.
For Amini, developing that trust comes from consistently being present rather than simply telling athletes that support is available.
“Words are exactly that, just words, right? Actions [are] really what people pick up,” Amini said. “I think showing up is really how it works.”
Mia Damon, a junior sports medicine major from Charlotte, North Carolina, who also works as a student aide primarily with Howard football, said working closely with athletes their own age requires them to recognize when to separate personal relationships from their professional responsibilities as student aides.
Once practice begins, their responsibilities include remaining on the sidelines, helping athletes stay hydrated and watching for potential injuries. When players leave the field, the aides collect water bottles and jugs, clean equipment and assist with post-practice treatment.
“During practice, you’ll usually see us kind of flying around the field, holding water caddies, making sure the players stay hydrated,” Damon said.
The aides also act as additional eyes for the certified athletic trainers, alerting them when an athlete appears injured and observing evaluations and treatment. The preparation happening behind Howard Athletics reaches far beyond the football field and athletic training room.
With athletes sometimes attending two or more workouts in one day, Amini said properly fueling their bodies is just as important as the work they complete in the weight room.
“The same way you sleep to fuel your mind, you need to fuel your stomach,” Amini said.
The work also provides students with professional opportunities. Damon, who hopes to become an orthopedic surgeon working with sports teams, said her connections through Howard Athletics helped her secure an internship shadowing in a hospital.
Amini aspires to pursue strength and conditioning with a focus on returning athletes to play, while Yisrael hopes to work in professional athletic training and eventually pursue physical therapy.
“Becoming a student aide has really allowed me to connect what I learned in the classroom to real-life applications,” Yisrael said.
Even as the experience prepares them for careers beyond Howard, the students balance those early mornings, practices and post-practice responsibilities. The aides still have classes, studying, organizations and commitments beyond athletics to manage.
“We are still students at the end of the day,” Yisrael said. “This isn’t the only thing that we do.”
Copy edited by Daryl R. Thomas Jr.
