Bethel Student Is National HPE Major of the Year

In 2011, senior Amy Neubauer was selected as Bethel’s Health and Physical Education Major of the Year. This year, she went a step further, being recognized by the National Association for Sport & Physical Education (NASPE) as a 2012 National Major of the Year. The award, presented in Boston, recognized Neubauer’s outstanding service, academic success, and leadership. Neubauer was nominated by her advisor, Professor of Physical Education Steve Henkel.

Neubauer says she was pleasantly surprised to receive the awards. “To be honest, I was shocked.  I know that there were many students...who equally deserved the award, so I am honored and very humbled that they chose me.” But Neubauer’s national success didn’t come easily. “I put a lot of effort and energy into my classes and studies at Bethel, as well as into my student teaching and internship experiences. I'm a firm believer in Colossians 3:23, where we are instructed to work at whatever we are doing with all our hearts as working for the Lord, not for people,” she says.

Neubauer believes Bethel’s small class sizes, enthusiastic professors, and individual care contributed to her success. “The one thing that I loved and appreciated most about my experience at Bethel was the fact that my advisors and professors actually cared about me,” she says. She looks forward to exploring what she will do with her degree in Health and Physical Education after graduation this spring. “I absolutely love what I am doing with my major now,” she explains, “and am excited for what the future holds!”