Fall sports are in full swing and UHS athletes have been delivering outstanding performances. The football team has been winning games, the girls’ tennis team is maintaining its reputation and all of UHS’s fall athletes are proudly representing the school. Behind the scenes, Julia Cendejas, UHS’s newly appointed athletic trainer, is ensuring these athletes stay in top form and healthy. She is the third trainer to join UHS in the past year and is already leaving a positive mark by providing crucial care to the school’s amazing athletes.
Cendejas’s journey into the world of athletic training began during her time as a player on the Los Angeles Valley College softball team. It was there that she first met with an athletic trainer, igniting her passion for the field and setting her on the path to becoming one herself. She got her associate’s degree at Los Angeles Valley College, pursued further education at Cal State University, Northridge with a bachelor’s degree in kinesiology and later graduated with a master’s in kinesiology from CSU Long Beach.
As a student, Cendejas gained a wealth of experience while working with various college sports programs in southern California, including stints at institutions such as Mt. San Antonio College, UCLA, Orange Coast College and Long Beach State. Now she embarks on her first year at UHS as a high school athletic trainer, bringing years of valuable athletic training expertise with her.
Beyond the training room, Cendejas is an avid sports enthusiast who enjoys watching and following a wide range of sports. Additionally, she is a talented baker with a passion for experimenting with new recipes found on the internet. In the upcoming year, Cendejas is eager to discover new hiking spots and explore Orange County since she recently moved to Irvine after growing up in San Fernando Valley with her family.
“One of the biggest pros of working at UHS has to be meeting the variety of students and staff and getting to know everyone,” Cendejas said.
One can often find her in the athletic trainer’s office, engaged in conversations and building connections with various athletes she has come to know.
“[I] look forward to working [with] all the different sports and meeting more of the student-athletes that attend [UHS],” Cendejas said.
Cendejas is already making a substantial impact on UHS athletes and is dedicated to keeping them healthy on and off the field.
