Maddie Cooley has won the SHAPE America Major of the Year award. This award is a prestigious national honor that recognizes exemplary undergraduate students in the fields of health, physical education, recreation and dance. A Platteville native, Cooley graduated in December with a Bachelor of Science in health and human performance with an emphasis in physical education and minors in health education and athletic coaching. She was nominated for the award by Dr. Tim Swenson, chair of the Department of Health and Human Performance.
“From the moment she was a freshman in our department, her commitment to becoming the best PE/Health teacher was evident,” said Swenson. “What makes her special is her enthusiasm when she teaches. It doesn't matter the age level or content she was teaching; she could get students excited about it!”
In addition to being an exemplary student, Cooley also was a member of the Pioneer women’s volleyball team.
“In order to maintain excellence in the classroom as well as on the volleyball court, she needed to be disciplined,” Swenson recalled.
“Being recognized for my dedication and efforts in the Department of Health and Human Performance feels rewarding, and I’m proud to have made a lasting impact on the program,” said Cooley. “I dedicated myself to absorbing as much knowledge as possible to improve myself and benefit future generations. Serving as the HHP Club president for all three years of my college career helped set me up for success.”
Cooley is the latest in a line of UW-Platteville HHP majors to have won this award, and Swenson reflects on the collective effort that helps students like her succeed.
“I believe that part of this is that the older students have served as mentors to our younger students in terms of their professional and academic commitment and work ethic,” said Swenson. “We have some amazing staff members who put our students in opportunities to succeed in the future. We host many hands-on physical education and health education teaching events that prepare our students for student teaching and beyond.”
This is just the beginning for Cooley, who is currently teaching health and physical education at Oak Creek High School while pursuing a master’s degree in sports administration at UW-Platteville. Cooley plans to take everything she has learned at UW-Platteville with her into the future.
“Knowing that I’ve been set up for future success and have been part of a program that genuinely cares about its students' success is an amazing feeling," she said. "I will continue to embrace the Pioneer way, striving for excellence as I move forward in my career.”