Daniel Banganay

I was born in the Philippines but moved to Ireland when I was 3 years old. When I was 14, I moved to Australia and have been here ever since. Growing up, I was always extremely active, playing soccer and competing in cross-country running, track, and field athletics. I went to school at Rouse Hill Anglican College and graduated in 2017.

I commenced university studies at UTS in 2018, initially studying a Bachelor of Science and then transferring into Sport and Exercise Science in 2019. I participate in several extracurricular activities at UTS, mainly helping to run two student clubs and being a regular participant in the UTS Ultimate Frisbee Team.

I am very passionate about fitness and health and enjoy educating people about both. I love learning how to help people improve their health and fitness, and being able to tell people about the different ways they can stay fit or improve their physical performance, regardless of if they are athletes or everyday people trying to stay healthy.

I was inspired to study Sport and Exercise Science by previous students who were completing the degree at the time. Initially, I felt lost with my career options but after hearing from these students and doing my research into the degree, I realised that the content covered was very much in line with my interests and career goals.

I chose to study at UTS because of the emphasis on practical learning and the availability of purpose-built equipment that students may use.

I believe that learning hands-on skills during class and using the same type of equipment while studying will better prepare me for real-world situations where textbook examples aren't as common as students may believe. By being able to learn practical skills, I will be able to better adapt to working in the industry and have the opportunity to gain more industry experience before graduating.

My favourite experience happened during one of our second-year units, Applied Biomechanics, where we were taken into a specialized room at Moore Park, custom-made to capture 3D human motion.

The room had specialised equipment simultaneously capturing human movement and force output using infrared cameras and force plates, which were processed by specialised software that turned the human movement into data to be measured and analysed. The captured data was also displayed on a screen in the room, which showed real-time measurements in the form of a digital 3D model of the individual performing a movement.

Seeing how the room functions and taking part in the set-up of a trial, then performing a test run, opened my eyes to what sports scientists do when analysing the movements of athletes and made me even more interested in the scientific aspects of Sport and Exercise Science. 

I plan to complete my Master's degree in Physiotherapy at UTS and work part-time as a personal trainer whilst I study. I am hoping to become a Sports Physiotherapist and potentially return to university to complete an Honours in Sport and Exercise Science, so I can still work within the sports industry later on in my career.

My best advice for anyone looking to study Exercise and Sport Science or pursue a similar career path to mine is to take every single opportunity you are presented with.

If your tutor asks for volunteers or an opportunity arises to take part in extracurricular activities, then going out of your way to take part will make your time at UTS much more enjoyable. This may lead to more opportunities that you might not have been given if you never took the extra leap. Also, don't be afraid to speak to tutors and other UTS staff members, both in and out of class.

They have valuable experience in the industry and can give you advice on career pathways or other pieces of useful information that you might not usually get from just passively listening in class.

Learn more about Sport and Exercise at UTS