A Vision Fulfilled

These days it is rare for Erika Szanto (‘06) to put her feet up with nothing to do. While a student in the Massage Therapy Program, Erika was already thinking about how she would structure her workday in the future. She envisioned herself in a fitness center and was drawn to the Personal Training Program as a way to complement her work as a massage therapist while improving her own fitness levels.

Erika took the 160-hour Personal Training Program while completing her studies in massage. Before graduating in August ‘06, Erika interviewed with Equinox Spa. “I let them know I was ACE-CPT certified,” she said, “and would be taking the licensing exam in massage. They took my resume and I heard back from them within a week.” They hired her immediately as a personal trainer (she is now NSCA-CSCS certified) at the Equinox Spa on Broadway and 50th St. After graduation and passing the New York State licensing exam, she added her skills as a massage therapist.

Erika’s vision has been filled and so are her days. She recently qualified as a full-time employee, with benefits and an income that matches what she earned in previous positions that were unsatisfying and less flexible. Her only complaint: no time to sit.

Erika, who has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from SUNY Binghamton, has plans to continue to grow her business. She hopes to gradually add private clients and to approach local corporations with onsite fitness services. With her belief in a healthy body and mind as the best way to prevent illness, she is the modern version of the barefoot doctor who cared for the village; only she wears New Balance sneakers and her village is an upper West Side neighborhood in Manhattan!

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