Student Spotlights

With over a million visitors a year across all campus rec centers, Texas A&M’s Department of Rec Sports is hardly a simple organization; daily operations require a fleet of full-time staff, graduate assistants, and student workers alike. 

One such student who has dedicated her time outside of the classroom to the benefit of fellow Aggies is Novey Arrieta, a group fitness instructor and a junior Kinesiology major at Texas A&M University.

Arrieta is a first generation Aggie with a heart of charity and a knack for fitness. She dreams of becoming a physical therapist and helping her clients through their physical fitness and education needs. As a group fitness instructor at Rec Sports, Arrieta arranges Pilates classes at the Student Rec Center and the Southside Rec Center, guiding students through weekly routines and the serenity of self-maintenance through physical exercise.

“I wanted a quicker way to kind of get involved in fitness at a formal level,” Arrieta said. “I definitely wanted a little bit more experience, especially for the major and then continuing on to figure out where I fit best in the fitness and wellness realm.”

Arrieta’s classes often focus on stress relief and self-acceptance, which can be important values to remember in the everyday stress of college life. To this effect, Arrieta said, “when someone comes up to me and is like,’that really helped’, it makes my week. It feels really rewarding.”

When asked how working for the Rec has changed her perspective, Arrieta elaborated about her newfound understanding of education.“Seeing learning opportunities as more than just academic classes, I think, is really important,” Arrieta said. 

For Arrieta, working at the Rec has been an astounding change for the better. It has led not only to a development of career goals, but it has also been instrumental in developing her sociability and relationships with others.

“I’m a lot better at being social than I was before,” Arrieta said. “It’s helped my physical and emotional health a lot. There’s been so many opportunities for personal and career growth at the Rec, and so it’s been really rewarding on all fronts”.

In preparation for this student spotlight, Arrieta showed great reverence for the program and described the honor she felt to be interviewed by Rec Sports staff. To her, working for the Rec is not just about clocking into work and hosting classes; it’s an opportunity to become more familiar with the people of Aggieland and add value to the lives of students, staff, and the community at large. It’s a place of collaboration, a beacon of personal improvement, and not least of all, a great place to work.

“I didn’t expect to have this much connection with a part-time job,” Arrieta said. “If there’s an opportunity, I definitely wouldn’t mind working here full-time.”