Aug 31, 2017 2:06 pm
Between taking care of her six children and earning a degree in Kinesiology from Pierce College, Soanna Reed has mastered the art of time management. Her oldest daughter also graduated from Pierce and attended at the same time as her mom, and it wasn’t uncommon for the two to take turns caring for the youngest son on campus in between classes.
Soanna is especially proud her children can see her juggling responsibilities and working hard each day to reach her educational goals. “I have a full schedule, but it keeps me moving,” she said. “Everything I do is for my children, and I want them to see me achieve my goals. I push myself because I want my kids to be the best that they can be, too.”
In addition to earning her Associate in Kinesiology, she also earned a certificate in coaching, and continues to attend nutrition courses to learn more about her field of interest. Even though she graduated last spring, Soanna maintains her connections to Pierce, teaching fitness classes and working with coaching staff.
In the future, she hopes to work with special populations including seniors and people with special needs, developing programs to help them live healthy lifestyles. Serving people with special needs is personal to Soanna, whose 17-year-old son was born with Down’s Syndrome. She works with him on a regular basis, helping him learn ways to perform various tasks on his own. “The further I went into the Kinesiology program, the more I wanted to focus on special populations because of my son,” Soanna said. “I would love to develop a gym focused on people with special needs and older folks.”
Soanna is well on her way to achieving her goals, and she credits much of her success in the program to the faculty and advisors at Pierce. “I loved that one of my professors was also my advisor,” she said. “[Advisor and program coordinator] Lisa Murray has so much experience in the field and has amazing stories to help students understand the material. I enjoyed my time in the program so much.”