Allison Ventola, FCRH ’18

Name: Allison Ventola

Hometown: West Caldwell, NJ

What is your major? Biological Sciences (Pre-Health)

What’s it like being a student athletic trainer? Being a student athletic trainer with the football team is like being a part of a big, dysfunctional family – in the best way. I get to be at every practice and game, whether it’s home or away. I’m there to help the certified athletic trainers tape everyone up and make sure the players stay hydrated on the field. I also get to help out with treatments like ultrasound, combo, and muscle stimulation. Everything I get to do is amazing because I’m a part of someone’s injury getting better and I’m helping them get back on the field, which is a big deal for me. Also, a perk: if I’m lucky, I make a few TV appearances on game day (according to my parents)! Going to work is definitely one of the highlights of my day because not only is sports medicine the field I want to go into, but it’s also super social (a great escape from memorizing signal transduction cascades all day long!!!). Going to work doesn’t feel like going to work; it’s more like coming home to your huge extended family. I love every second of it. 

If you could pick 3 celebrities to be your entourage, who would they be? BEYONCE. BEYONCE. also… Beyonce. (OK ladies now let’s get in formation.)

If you had a song play every time you walked somewhere, what would it be? I can definitely narrow it down to P.I.M.P. by 50 cent or Americano by Lady Gaga depending on my mood. This is a really difficult question to concretely answer considering there’s no way I could pick only one song to walk to!

What cheesy pick-up line always makes you laugh? Hey girl, feel my sweater. Know what that’s made of? Boyfriend material… gets me every time.

If you were to get a tattoo, what would it be? Thought about it, realized I hate needles, decided against it.

What’s your favorite Expressions memory? During the “Hell Week” of last spring (“Hell Week” being the week of our performances), all of us Expressions girls were in the mood to listen to the Chicago soundtrack. There was a huge, industrial ladder in the middle of the stage, seemingly unoccupied. When the song Cell Block Tango came on, all sixteen of us collectively ran up onto the stage and started going crazy dancing to it; hanging all over the ladder and getting so into it. None of us realized that the ladder was, in fact, occupied as the disco ball was being installed for our dance to “Sorry” by our boy J. Biebs. The moment when we all realized there was actually someone on top of it was hilarious!! We all just continued climbing and hanging off of the ladder pretending we were the sassy murderesses of the Cook County jail. Guess what is one of the big company pieces for our performances this semester?

What’s a surprising fact about you? I can eat my body weight in mozzarella sticks.

If you had a reality show, what would it be called? Big Al & The Big Apple

What’s your biggest phobia? SPIDERS. Just saying that word… It’s gonna be a no from me.

What is your favorite thing about Fordham? My favorite thing about Fordham is the fact that I can do everything that I love here. I have been interested in science ever since I was very little, have danced since I was six years old, and have wanted to be a physical therapist since I was about 13. Fordham has allowed for every component of my life: studying biology, dancing on Expressions, and getting started with sports medicine to come together in the best way I could ever imagine it would. At the end of the day, all the stress seems so worth it and my heart feels really happy.

Do you have any advice for your fellow collegiettes? The biggest thing I’ve learned throughout my time in college is to not only pursue what you’re passionate about, but to really be true to who you are and what makes you excited to wake up every morning. A huge part of college is learning about yourself and identifying the type of person you’d like to become. Never do you have to lose any piece of yourself, ever. If someone doubts you can do everything you want to do, prove them wrong. People aren’t always going to understand completely where you’re coming from, only you can do that. So don’t let anything ever discourage you from pursuing your dreams or for being who you innately are, because people so often panic when others don’t accept them or doubt their abilities. It’s okay to mess up. You learn from your mistakes and you grow. That’s the whole point of this whole thing!