Ginna Cortese’s education relies on the flexibility of Logan University’s fully-online degree programs.
Being part of a military family, Ginna has become accustomed to the adaptability needed to travel and live all over the globe. She needed a program that could adapt to her ever-changing schedule, and that’s why she chose to pursue a Master’s Degree in Nutrition and Human Performance from Logan.
Ginna first discovered her desire for health care and helping others while volunteering in a hospital in North Carolina. She worked in the physical therapy department with disabled veterans, gunshot victims, amputees and spinal cord injury patients.
She enjoyed her work so much and had always been passionate about learning and living a healthy life, so she decided to continue furthering her education in various aspects of health care – from personal training to respiratory therapy to, now, nutrition.
After moving to Germany with her husband and diving deep into her fitness routine with daily training, a personal trainer at her gym asked if she ever considered competitive body building.
“I thought he was crazy,” she said. “I barely even spoke any German. But, after some consideration, I decided to give it a shot. After all, I was in Germany and if I did terribly, no one I knew would ever have to know.”
She trained tirelessly for six months for her first competition, which was against fellow amateurs. She won first place, and the judges even allowed her to compete that same day against experienced competitors.
She won again.
At her first competition, Ginna met a German body building coach, who asked her to be part of his team. She agreed and would go on to compete six times over the next year, winning or placing in the top each time.
At age 56, Ginna is breaking barriers both as a non-traditional student and body builder. She attributes her ability to simultaneously pursue both of her passions to Logan’s online degree program flexibility, a feature that other programs Ginna tried simply didn’t offer. As a member of a military family, she also loved the opportunity Logan provided to complete her internship through the Veterans Affairs hospital in El Paso, Texas.
After she graduates from Logan in December, Ginna and her husband are moving to Korea, and Ginna will start training for a competition in North Carolina in June. Ginna is also interested in furthering her Logan education through courses in the future.