Nicolle Whalen is an assistant professor of physical education, as well as an assistant athletic trainer and junior varsity basketball coach at Simpson College.

Whalen completed her undergraduate degree at Simpson and attended graduate school for exercise physiology at Iowa State University. After graduate school, she worked at Mercy Medical center in cardiac pulmonary prevention and rehabilitation. While at Mercy, Whalen also taught as an adjunct at Simpson and one year later began full-time.

Students will find Whalen teaching several athletic training and exercise science classes this semester.

“I am teaching Exercise Physiology, Kinesiology, Contemporary Health, Basic Athletic Training and Exercise Prescription for special populations,” Whalen said. “This semester I am also teaching a senior colloquium, health and wellness in society.”

Whalen’s students have noticed her easy-going and caring personality.

“Nicolle is very easy to talk to if you don’t understand something,” junior John Richter, athletic training trainer, said. “She is always willing to help whenever a student is struggling.”

The Simpson experience and the students are the reasons Whalen wanted to teach at Simpson.

“To me, the Simpson experience is all about the ability for me to get to know my students on a more personal level, in and out of the classroom,” Whalen said. “I really enjoy learning about their other activities, other classes and goals for the future.”

Whalen has professional, but also friendly relationships with some of her students.

“I know Professor Whalen from being a student athlete, and I always look to her if I have an injury because I feel like she knows her stuff about athletic training and she can really be trusted,” junior Katie Vaux, an athletic training major, said. “She is always very friendly if you’re walking through the hall, and if you just need to talk to someone, she would definitely be willing to talk to you.”

Whalen’s classes have impressed some students, charging their drive for the subject.

“They are very interactive,” Richter said. “She encourages you to talk during class and give your opinion on things. She doesn’t rush through information just to get through it. She slows things down and makes sure the students understand it before she moves on.”

Outside of everything she does for work, Whalen does many things for fun and entertainment.

“My time away from teaching and athletic training is spent with my husband, Jeremy and two little boys, Walker and Will,” Whalen said. “They have definitely become accustomed to growing up playing at Simpson.”