A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Rebekah Reichard
- By: Aubrey Thomson
- Last Updated: February 17, 2021
Deciding on a career path can be tricky and finding one that you are passionate about is even tricker. People have to juggle a variety of factors concerning their career field. They try to find a job that suits their needs, interests, talents, ideal work environment, and schedule. For Certified Athletic Trainer at Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute Rebekah Reichard, finding her dream job came about after identifying her three main areas of interest pertaining to her future career.
“When I was searching for a career, three things really stood out to me,” Reichard said. “The first was my interest in medicine, the second was my love for sports and my history of athletics, and the third was my innate heart to serve and help people. Athletic training seems to really combine those three things that make my job really enjoyable.”
Reichard went to Indiana Wesleyan University for her degree in athletic training and then went to grad school for athletic training at the University of Kentucky. She worked at Valparaiso University in the sports medicine department for nine years before taking up her current position at Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute last August.
With her current position as a Certified Athletic Trainer, Reichard gets to split her daily efforts between two locations. She starts out her day working in-clinic with one of the orthopedic surgeons at Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute and then spends her afternoon at Chesterton High School. At the high school, she is able to support the athletic training staff through things such as treatment and event coverage.
Although Reichard’s favorite sports are volleyball, basketball, and softball because those were the sports she previously played, she helps the high school with whatever sport could use a helping hand. Since August, she has learned about sports that she has never dealt with before like gymnastics and wrestling.
Regardless of the sport, Reichard is happy to be the person to help athletes do what they love, as others did for her in the past.
“I think back to my past in sports and remember how much being healthy enough to compete meant to me,” Reichard said. “I can think back to my patients who have gotten so much joy out of returning to the sport that they love. That same desire is in every athlete I encounter. Athletic training can be a grueling job, but it is also very rewarding when you get to experience those victories, whether on the field or off.”
As someone with medical knowledge and sports experience, Reichard gets to be in the room with high school athletes, parents, physicians, and coaches. She works to bridge the gap between all these people and improve communication concerning the athlete’s recovery plan. Being able to help people understand, soothing parents’ concerns, and helping everyone connect guides students from start to finish in recovery.
Ever since she moved to Valparaiso to work at Valparaiso University, Reichard has watched the community expand and develop. She knows now that she wants to stay in the Valparaiso and Northwest Indiana community because of how it has grown and the relationships and opportunities that have opened to her as a result.
“A lot of my friendships have blossomed because of this being a wonderful place to live,” Reichard said. “Things were constantly growing and changing here, and that stood out to me from the moment I moved here. It has been really neat to be a part of.”
One of the things that makes Valparaiso home for Reichard is the community she has joined at Calvary Church of Valparaiso. She said she felt very fortunate and grateful that God brought her to Calvary Church because it has allowed her to develop impactful friendships, feel closer to God, and serve with the church. Reichard has put her sports knowledge to work at Calvary Church through previously planning games for Vacation Bible School (VBS). Even beyond volunteering to help with VBS, she enjoys working with the children’s ministry.
When she is not helping athletes recover from injuries or serving at her church, Reichard enjoys spending time with friends, being outside, exploring the Dunes, and reading books.
