Moving the Collegiate Setting Forward

In honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15, NATA Now is highlighting some of our leaders at the state, district and national levels as they give insight into their volunteer journeys.

Following his college advisor’s guidance, Chris Nerio, MA, LAT, ATC, chose athletic training as his major.

As his alma mater, Oklahoma State University, commenced the fall semester, Nerio took advantage of the school’s newly-introduced athletic training major.

“Once I went and did some observation, I have never looked back,” he said.

Since his university education, Nerio hasn’t only served patients in the collegiate setting, but has also held leadership positions, such as Oklahoma Athletic Trainers’ Association treasurer, Mid America Athletic Trainers' Association Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine chair and NATA Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine Division I Panel American Conference representative.

Read further as he shares the influences that led him into leadership and advancement in the profession.

What was your first volunteer position within the athletic training profession and why did you get involved? 

Being the treasurer for the state. I felt it was important to get involved and give something back because mentors and other people I respected were involved at the state level.

Tell us about your current position as NATA Intercollegiate Council for Sports Medicine Division I Panel American Conference representative and what you hope to accomplish in this role. 

First off, it’s been a great way to meet others in the collegiate setting that I may have not met otherwise. We recently published the College-University Value Model document, for which I was part of the work group involved. This hopefully will help ATs in the collegiate setting when dealing with administrative departments. Overall, I just want to promote what ICSM does and hope that others will want to get involved.

Why is representation in leadership important and how does it impact the profession? 

You may not find yourself wanting to be in a leadership role, but getting involved and out of your comfort zone will bring you a feeling of accomplishment and will make you want to strive to do more. Even the smallest acts can help impact the profession. Without volunteers who are involved, the profession can’t make strides forward.

How has volunteering helped you grow personally and professionally? 

I have met tons of people I never would have become friends with otherwise. More importantly, as a volunteer, you get more contacts you can bounce ideas off when you have a situation you get stumped with and need to think outside the box.

What’s your fondest memory of serving so far?

It was when I served on the Oklahoma state board and we started the Safety in Football campaign that has now turned into the Safety in Sports campaign. What started as a state grassroots effort to promote the profession has turned into a nationwide campaign that continues today.

What advice do you have for other athletic trainers who want to give back to the profession?  

Just take a chance, and you won’t regret the choice to get involved. You never know what you might get involved in and the impact that you might be able to make. There are endless ways to get involved and move the profession forward.