Name: Ruben Kanya
Hometown: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Major(s): HSSP
Minor(s): Economics
Not only is he a varsity athlete but he’s also super intelligent and extremely involved on campus. From shooting hoops on the court, to hitting the books every night, Ruben Kanya has definitely made a name for himself on campus. Read more to learn about how Ruben pursued a career in personal training and is now helping the fitness world with one rep at a time.
HerCampus: So, what kind of activities are you involved with on campus?
Ruben: I am a community advisor. I am working with the Brandeis University Health and Fitness Club (BUFF). I am also training the Crew team. Also on the Senior Gift Committee, and a varsity athlete on the Brandeis Basketball team. I am on staff at Gosman as a Personal Trainer. Over the summer, I worked in the Dean’s Office of Arts and Sciences. That is basically it for now.
HC: You seem very involved in a lot of different places on campus! What made you want to be a HSSP major and an Economics minor?
R: So, an HSSP major comes from me being always very interested in the mind, body, and health. Then having a strong background in Anatomy and Physiology, I thought that this was a very fitting major for me. And then for Economics, I consider myself an active entrepreneur. There are a lot of analytical things in the economy that are related to business. Economics basically lays down the foundation and theory, which is tied into business. So, I figured that it would only help me in my business-minded endeavors.
HC: What are you then planning on doing with the business and HSSP background in the future?
R: I would like to get my D.C. of chiropractic, and at the same time I would like to open up my own business and practice. I want to heal people, treat people, and work with a lot of individuals. What I mean is that, I have the chance to work with children, adults, older patients, and athletes and I really like having different crowds and different levels of treatments. I believe that this is a very rewarding career for the people and myself.
HC: What do you do now that you feel is going to help you transition in pursuing your future?
R: Currently, I am a certified personal trainer at Brandeis University. This allows me to work with individuals of all ages with different goals and physical limitations. This has really allowed me to create relationships with people and at the same time, become a better professional by treating them. I have also have gotten the chance to either improve people’s health and physical abilities or attributes. While giving them the opportunity to tackle these challenges and overcoming them, this job has helped me to network within the community and open doors to work outside the Brandeis community. My certification opened up doors for me in the physical therapy and chiropractic community. This opened up my eyes to increase my education in the field that would better me as a professional in order to increase the success that I’ve seen in the people who appreciate the service–to see how happy and helpful that they have been with me helping them. This feeling has helped me realize that I could expand these accomplishments from being a personal trainer and apply them at a higher level as a doctor in the medical field.
HC: You seem like a very altruistic and well-rounded person! What is something quirky or weird about you that people wouldn’t initially think of?
R: I love interior design…like a lot. I want to be able to do it when I’m older. I also like to dip any food into a glass of milk or juice…any food that goes well with it. Definitely pastries though.