Reece Thorne ’25: Raising the Bar
Graduate assistant leaves behind a legacy of community and growth in Strength & Conditioning
While athletes hit personal records in the weight room, many behind-the-scenes factors drove their success. One of those factors was Reece Thorne ’25, a graduate assistant for Strength & Conditioning, Personal Training, and Small Group Training at Texas A&M Rec Sports. Over the years, Thorne became an integral part of a team that fostered student development, camaraderie, and personal growth.
Thorne, who completed her master’s degree in kinesiology in December, wore many hats in her role. She was a leader, a mentor, and, as she described it, the “glue” that connected students and professional staff.
“I understood what the student staff was going through,” she said. “I knew that they had class, exams, maybe other jobs. I brought a sense of understanding and willingness to work with them and work with their schedules, as well as with pro staff. Getting to this new adult stage in my life was really interesting—going from student to this position.”
One milestone of this transition for Thorne was taking on more responsibility with training new student staff and personal trainers.
“When I actually got to take the reins on training and do it my own way but still stuck to what we needed to teach them, and then those workers still came out how they were supposed to—they knew what they were doing and they loved what they were doing—it was really rewarding,” Thorne said.
Her daily responsibilities ranged from conducting evaluations to ensuring personal trainers had the resources they needed to support their clients. But at the heart of her work was a passion for student development and a deep appreciation for the Rec Sports community.
“I think the most rewarding thing for me was when we had our end-of-semester meetings, and we were giving people their graduation plaques. Then they would give shoutouts to our pro staff or our supervisors and say we impacted them,” Thorne said. “At the end of the day, when they were thankful for their experience here, I think that was probably one of my favorite aspects of this job.”
Thorne’s journey with Rec Sports began five years ago when she joined as a strength and conditioning attendant. At the time, she was a freshman navigating the transition from her small-town roots to life at Texas A&M University. A job posting outside the facility caught her eye, and the rest is history.
“Coming to college, I would come to the weight room almost every single day,” Thorne said. “I’ve always been an athlete, which was what made me choose strength and conditioning. Then, actually coming into the role, I stayed because we had a great sense of community within everybody on staff.”
Her time at Rec Sports not only shaped her career path but also introduced her to lifelong friends—and even her fiancé.
“I’ve met so many great people here,” Thorne said. “I met my fiance working in this building, so that was awesome. Being able to be surrounded by Ryan Keller, DJ Scott, and my student supervisors, and just being able to have that community while we’re head-down grinding—that was something that I’m definitely going to miss, for sure.”
Looking ahead, Thorne is keeping her options open, considering careers in cardiac rehabilitation or pursuing a Ph.D. to become a professor. No matter where she ends up, she knows her time at Rec Sports has prepared her well.
“This job has taught me how to critically think through things, handle situations, and adapt on the fly,” she said. “I’m super thankful for that, and I will take that with me for the rest of my life.”
As she graduated and took the next step in her journey, Thorne left behind a lasting impact on Rec Sports and the students she’s mentored.
“We’ve been able to change how all other programs see us, and I do believe that I had a big impact on that,” she said. “Every time I was upstairs, I was having conversations with new people, asking people about their day, just trying to make as many connections as I could.”
