Jose Benjamin has always had a passion for science — specifically an interest in the strength and conditioning field.
That interest led him to earn his bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science from Winona State University in Spring 2022.
But Benjamin’s education didn’t stop there.
In Fall 2022, he enrolled in the Performance Analytics Master of Science (PAMS) program that’s offered through the Health, Exercise, and Rehabilitative Sciences Department at Winona State.
The program allowed Benjamin, along with his peers, to understand ways to evaluate new applications and technologies, as well as work with extremely vast and intricate sports and human performance datasets.
Additionally, the program teaches students how to use high-tech data to provide individual and organizational-level forecasting and programming to optimize performance.
When Benjamin received a LinkedIn message informing him of an assistantship job opening with the Boston Red Sox, he thought it was too good to be true.
“I wasn’t expecting it at all because I wasn’t job searching or anything,” Benjamin said. “I was just planning to finish the Performance Analytics Master of Science program.”
He feels the PAMS program at Winona State played a major role in securing the job opportunity.
“I think that being in the PAMS program sets me apart from other applicants in the job process,” he said.
While working for the Boston Red Sox, Benjamin will get the chance to use the skills he’s acquired from the PAMS program so far.
In his nine-month assistantship, Benjamin will help the strength and conditioning staff with day-to-day responsibilities, such as leading athletes through warmups and workouts, ensuring they get proper fuel during their games, and tracking and interpreting data throughout the baseball season to provide athletes with feedback on how they can improve. He will also assist in the administration and collection of data from fitness tests and screens, as well as help athletes with rehabilitation and return to play.
The assistantship also offers an opportunity for long-term employment following spring training and minor league baseball season.
“I can’t wait to work with the athletes and put all I’ve learned so far into practice,” said Benjamin.
Since the PAMS program has been designed to be completed remotely, Benjamin will continue to pursue his master’s degree while he works with the Boston Red Sox. He intends to graduate from the PAMS program in Fall 2023.
“I really think WSU is going to start setting itself apart with this new PAMS program and this is just the beginning,” WSU Professor of Exercise Science Erin White said.
