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Editor's Note: Kim Newlin will share additional details about her undergraduate and professional experience when she records a World of Work Podcast with senior associate athletics director Michael Lorenzen. Visit the Aggie Overtime podcast portal to hear this interview, or other World of Work conversations featuring former UC Davis student-athletes.
 
 
As a women's soccer student-athlete, internships and mentorships with exercise physiologists played a key role in helping Kim Newlin begin a career in a professional field that perfectly fit her skills, personality and passions.
 
"I did not know what to pursue when I started my time at UC Davis," said Newlin, a cardiovascular clinical nurse specialist and adult nurse practitioner at Sutter Roseville Medical Center.
 
"As I started to participate in internships, developed mentorships with other people and started to talk about their career paths, I discovered I liked the nursing theory. The holistic piece meshed well with disease prevention and exercise science."
 
Newlin loved science, math, and worked at the performance lab throughout her four-plus-year undergraduate career. But it was the personal relationships she built at UC Davis that ultimately led to her current position as Sutter Roseville's director of cardiovascular services.
 
"My dad is still an exercise physiologist; it was fun because a couple of classmates from his graduate program in Illinois were my professors at UC Davis. I was a pre-med in psychology who was taken in by the exercise physiology family."
 
While an undergrad, Newlin enjoyed playing soccer, skiing, and pursued as diverse an experience as possible before pursuing a career in the health science field.
 
"I knew I wanted a career that provided work/life balance. I did not want to commit to the requirements needed to become a doctor because there were a lot of changes taking place in health care at that time. Even though I dabbled in physical therapy, I knew I wanted to enter the health science field.
 
"Everyone I talked to in the field felt that nursing, especially if I wanted to pursue an advanced degree, was a really good fit for me and my personality.
 
Newlin added, "How does exercise help people prevent disease and stay healthy? So much of nursing is around that, it involves helping people become healthy after they have been sick, or preventing a primary incident. I now run a cardiac and cardiopulmonary program for people who are dealing with a chronic condition recover and return to full functionality."
 
Newlin's experience came full circle when she participated in an Aggie EVO panel that featured numerous health science professionals. That day, student-athletes heard firsthand about the tasks, responsibilities and day-to-day perspective about numerous jobs in the field, and an understanding of potential careers.
 
"That panel would have been fantastic to have available when I was a student," said Newlin.
 
That EVO event is when she first met Celina Minissian, another women's soccer alumna who was interested in becoming a nurse, in a formal setting.
 
"I initially knew Celina from watching her compete when my two daughters and I return for women's soccer's home games."
 
Conversations between Newlin and Minissian eventually led to a lightbulb moment — one that highlighted how connected everyone is within the health science field, and the power of positive professional relationships.
 
"What is ironic is that I remember her last name — it is unique, and unique to me — since I worked professionally with a nurse named Margo Minissian, who is a cardiology nurse practitioner in Southern California. When Celina came up to me and introduced herself, she informed me about her interest in becoming a nurse since her aunt was one as well. 
 
"I asked her, 'By any chance, is your aunt named Margo?' And she responded by giving me a look that said, 'Who are you?' And I told her that I knew Margo well since we work in the same circle of cardiology nurses. 
 
"I think Margo was a huge inspiration, she is an amazing nurse who performed research in Los Angeles at Cedar Sinai. That created an instant connection because we held shared inspiration for one of her family members."
 
After exchanging phone numbers and numerous texts in the weeks that followed, Minissian started talking to Newlin about various nursing programs that interested her, where she wanted to live, work, and sought advice about participating in an internship.
 
"Due to privacy purposes, it is harder to participate in a healthcare internship now. We talked about different professions and I wrote a few letters of recommendation."
 
Added Newlin, "After seeing her passion and persistence, those letters were easy to write."
 
While in nursing school, Minissian sought advice from her mentor to find a position that best suited her skill set, personality and professional potential.
 
"I encourage everyone, unless they are certain about what career to pursue within the industry, to spend time with people who hold various jobs. It is difficult to enter one track as is. If one starts physical therapy school, and realizes in a couple years that career is not what was originally envisioned, connecting with professionals from various backgrounds may have provided enough information for someone to alter their decision accordingly at the start."
 
Since her mentors played a crucial role in shaping her career, Newlin is honored to serve as a mentor for student-athletes like Minissian, other women's soccer alumni and UC Davis student-athletes.
 
"If someone approaches and wants me to mentor them, or be a preceptor, I do not say no. I had amazing nurses and nurse-practitioner mentors when I was in college. They are the reason I pursued what I did, and if I can do that for other people, I want to take advantage of those opportunities.
 
"I think the EVO program is phenomenal in connecting student-athletes with professionals who possess a shared love for UC Davis."
 
This is why Newlin returns to campus on a frequent basis (when her schedule allows it) to speak informally with the women's soccer team throughout the academic year, interact with the program's current student-athletes throughout its Alumnae Weekend, at EVO panels, speed networking sessions and other events.
 
"I want to paint a picture of what a bedside nurse is, especially since 90-plus percent of individuals who come from nursing school end up at the bedside. I also want to give students the best guidance possible so they do not feel misled," said Newlin, highlighting her main roles as a mentor.
 
"I knew within a short amount of time that I did not want to spend time at the bedside, and became more involved with prevention," regarding her experience as a young professional.

Especially in her field, Newlin wants to tell young professionals what nursing school will prepare them for, especially if they are unsure about spending time bedside. Above all else, she wants to paint a realistic picture of the inpatient side of being a nurse in case students' interests lie more with rehabilitation, physical therapy, or if they are really interested in being involved with surgery.
 
Even though nurses are not immensely involved with surgeries, a physician's assistant program might interest them more since they are in the operating room. 
 
Other important concepts that Newlin stresses with student-athletes include:
 
Why networking is important
"Celina's willingness to speak to me was important because it allowed me to place a face to a name. If I receive 20 applications, I prefer to know someone by face, who I had previous conversations or relationships with."
 
Highlighting the personal benefits of being a student-athlete
"I tell people, and I am not afraid to admit this: If I receive an application or resume from a student-athlete, it is a huge indicator of their ability to multi-task and handle numerous projects. That alone has earned interviews with me. Student-athletes need to know how that elevates their application or resume. 
 
Extra-curricular activities paint a picture of who you are
"Being a student-athlete does not mean I am giving a job to someone, but that is an extracurricular activity that captures my attention. One's willingness to volunteer and remain committed to something, instead of jumping from one commitment to another, and perform well enough to earn a degree is a filter piece that differentiates someone and makes them stand out."
 
 
AGGIE EVO
Established during the 2017-18 academic year, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation.
 
Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis.