5 Questions with Kat Blandford ’26
Coming into college, Kat Blandford ’26 had a clear idea of what she wanted to study and why. The summer after her freshman year, she had a good internship, one directly related to her major. In her sophomore year, she switched majors.
1. Why switch majors?
As a chemical engineering major, I interned with a medical device company. My sister is in a wheelchair, so I know the importance of what I could do in this field. But, with the internship, I realized I wouldn’t like spending most of my day sitting. But I still liked medicine and chemistry and helping people. So I switched to health sciences with a concentration in exercise and movement.
2. You not sitting much?
I’ve fallen in love with becoming an athletic trainer. I work as a trainer for men’s basketball. I also did an EMS internship, including stints with Miami Valley Hospital and the Dayton fire station near campus. Riding with a squad keeps one moving. I can handle blood and vomit; trainers sit near the trash can where players vomit during practice.
3. You've a particular interest in CPR?
Cardiac arrest can happen to anyone, anywhere, anytime. Athletes’ hearts are under stress. AEDs (automated external defibrillators) are great — if they are available. But some sports — like cross country and rowing — take place where they are not available. And athletes when they work on their skills — such as a basketball player shooting — are often by themselves. Not every place is like UD Arena, where trainers, paramedics, our doctors, visiting team doctors and EMS firefighters all gather before games to go over signals and where everything is. So I’ve worked training others in manual CPR.
4. What's your typical day like?
I have rowing practice starting at 5:30 a.m., then shower and to classes about 9 to 12, then lifting, then to work until 7. Work takes about 20 hours per week; so does rowing. (Somebody in my freshman year asked me if I’d be interested in rowing — that’s how the team recruits. Now I’m a captain.) Of course, some days aren’t typical. I spent two months in the summer of 2024 in Italy; I studied food and nutrition in Sorrento and Florence.
5. And who is Max?
A dog my roommate and I live with. From 4Paws for Ability, he’s preparing to be a service dog. My roommate is his primary handler; I help out. The service part of his training comes after he leaves UD. We’ve worked with him on the preliminaries, like potty training and basic commands. My roommate brings him to class. Last semester I had him parts of Tuesdays and Thursdays. A college campus is a good place to get used to people. I brought him to the training room; he and the athletes got to know each other.
A version of this article appears in print in the Fall 2025 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 13. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE