URI senior named national Major of the Year by SHAPE America
Flanagan will be honored during a
ceremony at SHAPE America’s national convention this spring.
Flanagan was nominated for the award by faculty in the URI
Feinstein College of Education’s health and physical education program and will
be honored during a ceremony at the organization’s national convention this
spring in Kansas; she follows in the footsteps of Jane Carr ’25 who won
the award last year. SHAPE America is the nation’s largest membership
organization for health and physical education professionals, founded in 1885.
“Wendy is an outstanding student,” says Emily Clapham, URI associate professor of health and physical education. “She was unanimously nominated for this prestigious award by all of the Health and Physical Education faculty in the College of Education. She produces high quality work, delivers engaging lessons to students of all ages and abilities and does it with the best attitude and a smile on her face!”
A senior health, physical education, and adapted physical
education major at URI, the Westerly native, and current Charlestown resident,
will receive her bachelor’s degree at URI this May.
A transfer student from the Community College of Rhode
Island, Flanagan made the most of her time at the University, teaching at
learn-to-surf days for URI physical education students at Narragansett Town
Beach, teaching other students during the Surf Club’s Learn to Surf day,
assisting the Research Surf Therapy Program for children with disabilities,
volunteering at open houses, and serving as an undergraduate teaching assistant
for human sexuality, intro to film, disabilities sports, and adapted physical education
classes. She also is a full-time lifeguard supervisor for the Weekapaug Region
Surf Rescue in Westerly.
Flanagan says her URI journey initially started as she
pondered her future in high school. She knew she wanted to work with others,
but didn’t want a career that meant being in a cubicle 9-5.
“I realized I liked kids, and I have a passion for making an
impact on their childhoods,” she says. “I also have always loved surfing, and
being outside moving, so I thought teaching PE/Health would be the best mix.”
With that goal in mind, and being mindful of college
expenses, Flanagan applied for her high school’s Dual Enrollment / Running
Start Program with CCRI. She received her associate’s degree from CCRI and
describes the transfer process to URI as seamless, starting at URI in 2024.
“I loved CCRI, and I love URI, for many different, unique
reasons,” she says, “but the experience throughout both has been very good for
me. Going to URI was the most affordable option for me, and luckily allowed me
to continue surfing at home on breaks with my people.”
Flanagan says there are many parts of her URI experience
that she’s grateful for: “Professor Nedwidek’s PE classes have been, and are,
some of the best times for all of us in the program. Dr. Xu is one of the most
caring professors. I also enjoyed Dr. Clapham’s summer surf therapy program and
I’ve enjoyed being able to teach surfing to URI students, too. Surfing with my
classmates at URI are some of my fondest memories I have of college.”
After graduation, Flanagan will hopefully have a little more
time for surfing which she calls a “massive” part of her life, and something
she does year-round. Flanagan learned to surf on Rhode Island beaches when she
was about 7, thanks to her dad Jeffrey, an avid surfer. “I thank him for giving
me this passion,” she says. “I surf for my mental health, and there is nothing
I enjoy more.”
“I will admit, I definitely surf less now in college,” she
adds. “Work, planning, student teaching, college classes, and more take a lot
of my time. My goal is to surf once every swell.”
Flanagan was recently accepted into the URI master’s in
education program and will begin her graduate studies this summer.
“I am very excited about my journey to come,” she says. “I
like to think of my life, and my education, as a wave and I truly live by that.
I go with the flow, and try to embrace the challenges and highs with grit.”
