Kent State Today will be following a group of Golden Flashes for the 2025-26 academic year, chronicling their efforts and successes during the fall and spring semesters. The group of students is at various places in their Kent State University academic careers and will share their experiences throughout the year as they take part in our distinctive programs, research and global experiences.
When Kent State University senior Julia Michalak was in elementary school and middle school in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, the idea of going to gym class made her sick to her stomach.
Born with a mild case of cerebral palsy, she’s always struggled with stiffness in her legs, which made physical activity and playing sports a challenge. She was often bullied in gym class and would leave in tears, she said.
By high school, she was thrilled to find out that she didn’t have to take physical education (PE) anymore.
“I was like, ‘I’m so done with this. I never want to walk into a gym again,’” Michalak said.
But, never say never, as the saying goes.
In her senior year of high school, Michalak was asked to be an office assistant at school, and that role led to a lightbulb moment for her.
“I had no idea what I wanted to do, but I would be in the office, and these kids would come in because the counselors would call them in for cutting PE, and I would hear some of the conversations because the counselors would usually leave their doors open. But through that, I overheard them saying just how, because they weren't athletic, it made them so scared to go to PE. They felt so bad about themselves not being able to play the sports as well as a lot of other people. And it got me thinking, if I went into this, I could have empathy for the people who struggled like I did,” she said.
Turning Struggle Into Success
Now, Michalak wants other students who are unsure of what career path they want to pursue to consider what they struggled with in childhood, like she has done. Currently in her final year at Kent State, Michalak will soon earn her bachelor’s degree in physical education and sport performance, with a plan to teach middle school or high school physical education. Her goal is to help other kids like her overcome their insecurities and learn to enjoy physical education.
“Everyone has that one thing that made them insecure,” Michalak shared in a post on the Kent State University Parents & Families Facebook page. “We are oftentimes told that we should only try things we’re strong in. And yes, not being a highly physically literate person has made for some challenges for me, but nothing that can’t be overcome.”
Kent State's Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education and Sport Performance prepares teachers in the PK-12 setting and professionals who promote high-quality physical activity opportunities for individuals across the lifespan. The program places a strong emphasis on field experience, internships and professional development experiences. This past year, Michalak had the chance to test out her newfound physical education teaching skills with an internship at Stanton Middle School in Kent, Ohio. She was handling everything – from lesson planning and coming up with activities to teaching two classes on her own twice a week. It was a process of learning by doing, she said.
“It's a learning experience,” she said. “Some days were frustrating – you learn this activity is just not a good activity to be doing in PE – and they're middle schoolers, so they have short attention spans. I think the hardest thing was just that they were very excited and hyper and just trying to reign 'em in a little bit, but they were such sweet kids. And by the end of my time there at the end of April, they were so much better behaved.
“I think for the kids who struggled a little bit more, I told them why I decided to go into it at the very beginning, and I think that kind of made the kids who didn't feel so comfortable, feel more comfortable. There was a girl who didn't want to really participate at all. She just felt so uncomfortable, and I noticed when I explained to her why I was there and what had happened to me, it wasn't a large shift; she was still being pretty hesitant, but she started to participate a little bit, and so that made me feel really good.”
Taking Fun Seriously
In addition to the training she’s receiving at Kent State, Michalak’s own experiences in school, and the level of empathy she's developed as a result, have become powerful tools she can tap into in her role as a future teacher. It's a role she takes seriously, and no doubt, her future students will benefit.
“I always tell people, you should treat going into a classroom like going into an operating room,” Michalak said. “Because when you go in, you have the tools that you need to impact somebody's life in a positive way, but you have to use them precisely. You have to be able to look inside someone just as you would in surgery and see what's going on, on the inside, so you can know how to help the person. And if you don't use the tools precisely, you can damage them emotionally.”
Stay tuned as we catch up with Michalak again before she graduates in May 2026.