Michelle Blum

B.S. in Exercise Science ‘10
Marlboro, NJ

Tell us about your background and how you knew you wanted to study Exercise Science.
I started off as a freshman communications major. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what that meant at the time. After a few classes, I realized it was not something I was particularly passionate about. My whole family was overweight and eating healthy and exercising was something important to me so when I realized I could study something I actually cared about; it made college much more exciting.

What lead you to choose Hofstra University for your undergraduate studies?
I wanted a school out of state to have the experience, the campus was beautiful and it was somewhere I could see myself living. I ended up loving Long Island and I never moved back.

Tell us the internship you completed as part of the program.
I did my internship at Institute 3E in Huntington and it was so eye opening. It was great to see how a business worked, work with real athletes, and learn about their philosophy when it came to fitness and nutrition. The owner was very knowledgeable about nutrition and supplements and I still use what I learned from him today in my own business.

Did you connect well with any particular faculty members?
Dr. Sell and Dr. Ghigiarelli were a huge part of my college experience. They both really take time out to work with students who are passionate about the field. They let me participate in a study when I was a junior and people are impressed when they see it on my resume. I still keep in touch with both professors, and am a guest-speaker once a semester for Dr. Ghigiarelli’s sports nutrition class.

How were you able to start your own business – Nutrish Mish?
I was lucky enough to get a full time job straight out of college (actually began while I was still in college) as the director of nutrition for an athletic training facility called CATZ. From there I started my own nutrition consulting company called Nutrish Mish, and now I get to teach the Hofstra interns.  My business is about 2 years old and it is growing everyday. I genuinely love what I do and I am so lucky. I have friends from other schools who are not happy in their jobs, or can’t find jobs, but I would do the same thing everyday even if I won the lottery tomorrow. I owe a lot of this to the exercise science program staff for being so encouraging, inspiring and supportive.

What advice do you have for those seeking a degree in this field?
The great thing about the field is the people studying it are passionate about it and there are so many options. If you major in accounting, you are going to be an accountant. With this you can get into cardiology, physical therapy, nutrition, personal training, managing a facility, work for sports teams, etc…so many different avenues! Network and make connections with staff and colleagues; you will all end up helping each other out!