SONHS has four stellar student-athletes graduating this May 2019 and two more slated to do the same in August. Among them, they represent five different sports, three different majors, and a number of awards and leadership positions, not to mention a shared passion for teamwork and helping others. Photos clockwise from top left: Khaila Prather, James Murphy, Brittny Ellis, Laura Cornelius, Serena Hou, and Katherine Sickinger.
LAURA CORNELIUS, B.S.P.H. ’19
Team: Basketball
Hometown: Groningen, the Netherlands
Studied: Public Health; sports medicine and sociology minors
Position: Point Guard; two-time team captain; 2018-19 Captains Award, Assist Leader Award, and Academic Award
Fun fact people might not know about you: I adopted a dog named Buddy my sophomore year.
Your mentor/hero? My mentor is Coach Meier. She developed me into the leader I am today. My heroes are my parents because they have sacrificed a lot for me to get where I am and they've been my biggest supporters along the way!
What helped you shine on the court and in the classroom? Discipline and time management were crucial, especially during the season, when we miss a lot of classes.
Academic/Athletic Highlights: I've been a 2 Time All-ACC Academic Team member, and have been on the ACC Honor role each of my semesters here at the U. The highlight of my athletic career here at the U was definitely beating #4 Notre Dame at home and #2 ranked Louisville on the road this season. Those wins were historic and so much fun.
Why Public Health? I am passionate about helping people, and you can do that in many different ways with a public health degree.
One thing you love about SONHS? The professors. They are so passionate and really put effort into building relationships with their students.
What’s Ahead? My first short-term goal is to play professional basketball in Europe. After that we will see which life path I'll choose. I have had my best four years of my life here at the U. It is truly great to be a Miami Hurricane!
Photo: JC Ridley / Miami Athletics
BRITTNY ELLIS, B.S.N. ’19,
Team: Track and Field
Hometown: Gurnee, Illinois (right between Chicago and Milwaukee)
Studied: Nursing; psychology minor
Why nursing? I have always loved science, and I have a passion for helping others, so nursing was the perfect combination of the two!
Main Events? I run the 200, 400 and 4x400 relay, which means I need a combination of speed and endurance!
Who inspires you to be your best? My parents. They gave up a lot of their time and their entire summers to take me to and from track meets all across the nation. They sacrificed a lot so I could get a scholarship and be able to attend the U.
Fun fact people might not know about you? I actually enjoy couponing.
How did you balance athletics and academics? Time management is everything -- any free time should be spent doing something useful!
Academic/Athletic highlight to date? Academically, I have to go with getting tapped into Iron Arrow -- it was a complete surprise! Athletically, I am most proud that I placed in the top 10 individuals in the nation twice, and the fact that the UM women’s team has won the conference meet four times since I began here!
One thing you love about SONHS? The many different clinical experiences. Being exposed to many different hospitals and unit types helped me narrow down what specialty I would like to pursue. I'm not sure yet, but it will probably be critical care.
Looking ahead? I will be enrolling in the Master’s in Health Informatics program this fall while taking advantage of my last year of athletic eligibility.
Photo: Hurricanes Athletics
SERENA HOU
Team: Golf
Hometown: Rowland Heights, California (my parents immigrated from Taiwan to pursue a college career)
Studying: Health Science; biology minor (graduates in August)
Why health science? Having relatives with careers ranging from occupational therapy, to OB/GYN, to dentistry gave me an early opportunity to see and experience the medical field and created a foundation for my passion, which only grew throughout my college career. It is a privilege to improve myself in ways that allow me to help others. It is kind of like a superpower, if you think about it. Advancements in modern technology enable us to save lives and improve the well-being of people around us in miraculous ways.
One thing you love about SONHS: The academic track I chose challenged me to push myself to reach my full potential but also allowed me freedom to pursue my other passion in life, golf.
How did you balance competition with academics? I didn't start out with a strategy or plan that would help me be successful, but being able to adapt and stay calm under pressure really helped me. Proper time management allowed me to study as a full-time student while working part-time on campus and competing in women's golf at a highly ranked NCAA D1 school.
Fun Fact: I am the only American on the team. My five teammates are from Venezuela, Argentina, Norway, Finland, and the Czech Republic. We are a very diverse team and bring so many cultures together. Every one of us speaks more than one language (I speak English and Chinese).
Highlight of Your Experience? I am so grateful for all the opportunities and experiences being a student-athlete at Miami has provided me, and I will always cherish the memories and friendships I have built along the way. Golf is an individual sport, but in college golf we come together as a team to achieve our goals. It has helped me work on myself and improve my skills in cooperative team management.
What’s Next? I will move back home to California to work and gain experience and hours before applying to physician’s assistant graduate programs when the next cycle begins.
Photo: Javier A. Corrales
JAMES MURPHY
Team: Football
Hometown: Avon, Connecticut
Studying: Health Science; psychology minor (graduates in August)
Position: Defensive Back
Bio: Murphy was one of Miami’s top special teams’ contributors in 2018, seeing action in seven games and totaling four tackles. At the end of the 2018 season, he was named one of Miami’s permanent team captains for the year. He joined the Hurricanes as a redshirt sophomore prior to the 2017 season after transferring from Wagner College, earning a football scholarship as a transfer walk-on. At the Miami Hurricanes Football Awards Show this past December, he received honors in the Scout Team Player of the Year, Albert Bentley Most Valuable Walk-On, and 2018 Captains’ Awards categories.
What’s next? Another season with the Hurricanes during which he plans to enroll in a graduate program at the U.
Photo: Hurricanes Athletics
KHAILA PRATHER, B.S.P.H. ’19
Team: Basketball
Hometown: Upper Marlboro, Maryland
Studied: Public Health 4+1 program; sociology and Africana studies minors
Position: Forward; 2018-19 Captains Award
Hero/mentor? My parents, Dr. Susan Prather, who is a nurse and a faculty member at SONHS, and Craig Prather, a captain in the U.S. Navy who played basketball at the U.S. Naval Academy. They are the guides for where I want to be in my life. They have been so supportive of me and my two brothers.
Secret to success on the court and in the classroom? A lot of time management and organization!
Academic/Athletic Highlights? Academically it was when I got accepted into the 4+1 program, which is allowing me to pursue my master’s degree in public health starting in the fall. Athletically it was playing in my first game on December 29, 2018, after sitting out for over a year due to a knee injury. The greatest day ever!
Why Public Health? I always loved science and helping people. Also, my mom is a nurse.
One thing you love about SONHS: All the opportunities SONHS provides for students to maximize their academic experience, for example, studying abroad, getting involved with research, etc.
What’s Next? I plan to complete my master’s degree in public health and go to medical school.
Anything Else? I feel super blessed to be part of a great program academically and athletically. It has been awesome!
Photo: JC Ridley/Miami Athletics
KATHERINE “KATIE” SICKINGER, B.S.H.S. ’19
Team: Swimming and Diving
Hometown: Dayton, Ohio
Studied: Health Science, Pre-Physical Therapy track; chemistry and psychology minors
Why health science? My family has been involved in the health field for generations. My parents instilled an interest in health from a very young age. As I got older, I found that a lot of my strengths and passions lined up with pursuing a career in physical therapy. My background in athletics made me even more interested in learning about body movement and health. I am also passionate about helping people reach their health goals, and I am most interested in doing that with special needs, neurological, or pediatric populations.
Your competitive events? I competed in many events during my time at UM, but my two best were the 200-yard backstroke and 400-yard individual medley.
Who inspires you to be your best? My sister has been a huge inspiration. She has taught me so much about what it means to truly value others above yourself. She never takes the easy route, and is always willing to take risks to help the ones she loves.
Fun fact people might not know about you: Last summer, I volunteered for three weeks teaching dance and physics to underprivileged children in rural Vietnam.
How do you balance your busy schedule? The most important thing I have learned is the importance of time management. I learned that if I wanted to have any time to spend with friends, I had to be great at prioritizing. Even a quick 30-minute window between practice and class was an opportunity to get schoolwork done.
Academic/Athletic Highlights: I was able to improve my personal best times in my best events every single year at UM, which is no easy feat. I was also named team captain this year, which was a great honor for me. Academically, I have been on various honor rolls throughout my time at UM, and maintained a 3.95 GPA thus far.
One thing you love about your academic track: The pre-physical therapy track provided me with all of the classes I needed to meet the prerequisites for most physical therapy schools, while allowing space in my schedule to add a second psychology minor and broaden my horizons through various dance classes and a newfound love of history classes.
Athletic/Career Goals: Although I am done competing, I will continue to share everything I have learned with others. I have always enjoyed teaching others to swim. I have big goals set for my career. I dream of someday opening up my own practice that would focus on physical therapy as well as other forms of therapy and support for children with special needs. Thanks to the incredible education I received at UM, I was accepted early decision to start physical therapy school at The Ohio State University at the end of May.
Photo: Hurricanes Athletics