The gym isn’t just a place for Jaxson Flores to work out. It’s an opportunity to be part of a community and help others.

When he’s not in class, Flores, a senior kinesiology major concentrating on performance fitness, spends most of his time at the Sanderson Center, where he serves MSU’s University Recreation division as fitness staff programming assistant. In this supervisory role, Flores manages and mentors more than 50 student workers, helping them grow professionally while ensuring academic achievement remains their main priority.

After three years of working for UREC, Flores has received numerous awards, including Employee of the Month, Fitness Assistant of the Year, Fitness Programming Assistant of the Year and Sanderson Center Employee of the Year.

“It’s not just my go-to place when I’m stressed out or I need to get a workout in. It’s a place to meet people, and it’s almost another home for me at this point,” Flores said. “I’ve met plenty of people there, including my roommates. I can be social there—part of a team—while helping others.”

Growing up in Brewton, Alabama, Flores first became involved in physical fitness when his father encouraged him to tag along for early morning workouts to stay active during the pandemic. When Flores arrived in Starkville for a college visit, the Sanderson Center was one of the first places he wanted to see.

“‘Where’s the gym?’ was my first question,” Flores joked. “We had something smaller back home, so I was ready for an upgrade. After seeing all the machines and the personal trainers doing their thing, I thought to myself, ‘This is going to be fun.’ I came to college with the mindset of not getting a job—actually enjoying my time. After a month went by in my freshman year, I realized I could turn what I liked to do into a job.”

After a semester of finding his footing as a fitness assistant, Flores said he began forming friendships with other student workers and picking up extra shifts because he “was hanging out and having a good time” at the Sanderson Center almost every day of the week. In addition to spending more time at the gym, Flores began climbing the job ladder, earning more supervisory responsibilities in his sophomore and junior years.

“Working here has helped me grow a lot and develop professionally. I quickly learned I had to find a personal and professional balance with my relationships. If you find that balance, you’ll do a good job,” he said. “I’m lucky to have had a lot of supervisors, including [Senior Fitness Coordinator] Meridith Nuckolls, mentor me to this point of my career.

“MSU is filled with supportive and welcoming people who will rally behind you pretty quickly—that’s just how friendly everyone is,” Flores added. “It’s a really positive community that has helped me grow as a person.”

After college, Flores said he will explore a career in tactical strength and conditioning, a field that helps military, law enforcement and other first responders maintain the peak fitness requirements needed for their work.

“In those jobs, you have to be physically fit every single day because you can’t fail. Your responsibilities are for others, and that’s what really motivates me—the aspect of always helping people,” he said.