HU alumnus credits internship for job opportunity

For Daniel Lindbloom, a 2009 graduate of Huntington University, a typical day at work includes everything from training clients, to metabolic testing, to blood lipid analysis, and meeting new and prospective clients. He starts each morning at 5 a.m. training clients at Lifetime Fitness in Orland Park, Ill., where he works as a personal trainer, a position that he received due in large part to the internship that he had during his time as a student.

Before his senior year, Lindbloom, an exercise science major, began looking for an internship to fulfill his requirements for graduation.

“I had no direction of what to do and where to go,” he said, “so I went to HU’s Enterprise Resource Center and gave them a list of the gyms in my area.”

A few weeks later, he received an email from Life Time requesting an interview. After three phone interviews, he was hired on as a summer intern.

“I shadowed trainers with their clients to get a perspective on how the program design worked, shadowed classes, met with new members, trained some new members, went to new hire meetings, and put on demonstrations,” he said of his day-to-day activities during his internship.

During his senior year, while balancing finishing school with running cross country and participating in track and field, he managed to keep in contact with the leadership at Life Time. When it came time to graduate finding a job was a no-brainer for him.

“They said if you want a job, we want you back. I felt like it was an easy choice and where God was calling me.”

He cites his education and time spent at HU as the foundation that he needed for his current career.

“I tell members all the time who are getting started with fitness, we need to build a pyramid, and when you build a pyramid, you need to lay a foundation first and then progress upward,” he explained. “My foundation started at Huntington University.”

He says that he is happy with the work he is doing, and feels satisfied when he sees results in his clients.

“I have seen things like one client getting off her diabetes medication, another client who finally fit into a suit five years after he bought it,” he said.

To current students, he suggests getting involved in internships, and states that “it’s the best way to get your foot in the door.”

He also encourages perseverance in pursuing your career after college.

“It may be a challenge coming from college to the real world, but you’ll hit your stride rather quickly,” he said. “It is a different change of scenery going out there, but it is worth the ride.”