Bradley Kenote graduated from the University of Minnesota in December 2020 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Coaching from the School of Kinesiology. After graduating he accepted a job as an American Indian Education/Cultural Advisor in the Anoka-Hennepin district 11. Kenote took a “non-traditional” route to complete his  undergraduate degree, which included several major changes and transfers.

“I started my undergrad career at UW Lacrosse,” Kenote said. “I thought I wanted to major in athletic training and eventually continue on to a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. After my first year, I decided that career path wasn’t what I wanted to do.” 

Kenote took a break from school, leaving the University of Wisconsin Lacrosse, and worked for a few years. During this time he was introduced to the possibility of sport psychology as a career path. With this newfound interest, he decided to go back to school. He started at St Paul College and then eventually transferred to the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus to major in psychology. 

Originally, the coaching minor stood out to Kenote because it would complement his sport psychology goals. But, as he progressed through his major, he shifted his focus and goals to plan for a career in educational psychology. 

“The coaching minor fit really well with my sport psychology path originally,” Kenote said. “When I decided to switch gears, I knew I wanted to finish my coaching minor. I had really enjoyed my classes up to that point. They didn’t even feel like work because I found them interesting.” 

Kenote had taken several of his minor courses with Nicole M. LaVoi, PhD, and said he had found her classes to be incredibly engaging. 

“I have to give a huge shout out to Dr. LaVoi,” Kenote said. “I was lucky that most of my coaching classes were instructed by her. To read her work and get to be in her classes was incredible. She’s kind of a legend. She really kept me engaged as a student, and that was a big reason I decided to continue with the minor.”

Kenote joked that LaVoi was probably his favorite professor at the UMN, which he “probably shouldn’t admit as a psych major.” 

LaVoi spoke highly of the progress Kenote made as he progressed through the program. 

“My classes are interactive and I expect the students to engage with classmates and add their unique insights to the class,” LaVoi said. “We all learn from each other, and many students are not used to this learning model. Over time, Bradley found his voice and became confident in participating. He is a very introspective, smart, caring, and thoughtful student, so when he spoke in class, everyone listened, including me!”

When asked about his favorite memories during his minor experience, Kenote talked about an experience in class with Dr. LaVoi that touched on hazing and hazing punishments. After studying case statements, each student had to form their own policy around hazing. 

“I remember how interesting it was to brainstorm as a class and hear all of the different perspectives of my classmates,” Kenote said. “You got an idea of where people came from, their experiences, how coaches they had in the past worked through those situations, and then you got to think about how you would handle it. It was a tough subject, but a really productive exercise.”

In addition to being interested in the content of the courses, Kenote noted that what he learned in the minor is applicable to both his current role and his future goal to coach at the high school level. 

“I knew the coaching minor would be useful for my future career,” Kenote said. “Not only will it benefit me if I do become a coach, but a lot of what we learned in class about how to be inspiring coaches is transferable to every other area of my life. It absolutely benefits me in the work I’m doing now.”

Kenote’s advice to students considering the coaching minor is inspiring: 

“It’s worth looking into the program to see what it’s about. They have things beyond just traditional coaching courses as well. For example, I took a course about preventative care for athletes. I would highly recommend the program. It’s fun, it’s not a lot of work, and the work you are doing doesn’t feel like a burden because it’s interesting. You’ll leave certified to coach, plus the skills you learn really can be applied to everyday life.” 

As for Kenote, he’s excited to dig into his work as a counselor, but he’s not ruling out more education in the future. 

Congratulations on graduating, Brad. The School is proud to call you an alumni of our coaching program!