Taisha Hernández Zambrana is a high school physical education teacher and strength and conditioning coach at Bell Creek Academy in Riverview, Florida, as well as a current student in UNCG’s Doctor of Education in Kinesiology program. Active in both her profession and community, Taisha brings together teaching, coaching, research, and leadership in her work with young people.
Creating Opportunities Through Powerlifting
In January 2026, Taisha founded Bell Creek Academy’s Powerlifting Club alongside her powerlifting coach, Leandro Muñoz. The program has grown quickly, expanding from eight students at its first competition to 19 athletes preparing for future competitions. For Taisha, however, powerlifting is about more than competition. She sees the sport as an opportunity for students to develop confidence, overcome self-doubt, and discover what they are capable of achieving. That impact extends beyond the school. During the club’s first Lift-a-Thon, students raised more than $5,000 to support the program while also donating a portion of the proceeds to Hillsborough County Adaptive Sports. The event brought together students, faculty, coaches, community organizations, and local supporters.
Connecting Practice and Research
Taisha is also connecting her professional work to research. She is collaborating with the University of South Florida research team on a mixed-methods study examining self-efficacy among students participating in the high school powerlifting club. The project reflects an important connection between professional practice and scholarship: using questions that emerge from real-world experiences to better understand how sport and physical activity can influence young people. Before beginning the EdD program, research was an area Taisha viewed as unfamiliar and, at times, intimidating. Through the program, however, she has found opportunities to grow as both a scholar and practitioner.
“The EdD in KIN program has allowed me to experience multiple opportunities for growth in areas that seemed so foreign to me, (… ) I have had teaching, coaching, and leadership experience, but research always seemed like an impossible task for me to achieve.”
She credits the Kinesiology faculty, particularly her mentor, Dr. Michael Hemphill, with helping her become more reflective and intentional in her work while gaining confidence in connecting scholarship with meaningful opportunities for students and athletes. Her participation in the AIESEP PhD Summer School also helped strengthen her desire to bridge research and practice, an opportunity she says she also owes to Dr. Hemphill’s support.
Learning While Leading
One of the reasons Taisha was drawn to UNCG’s EdD program was that she did not want to step away from the work she loves most: teaching. “One thing I knew I did not want to do when looking into higher education opportunities was stop doing what I love, which is teaching,” she said. Designed with working practitioners in mind, the EdD program has allowed Taisha to continue developing academically while remaining fully engaged in her professional role.
It has made my experience in both academics and my journey as an everyday teacher much more enriching (…) It has taken a lot of time management to balance doctoral study and professional practice, but the faculty is wonderful and supportive in the process. This program feels like it was meant to be for someone in my position, and I am so grateful I found UNCG.
Taisha Hernández Zambrana
Finding Confidence Along the Way
Taisha entered the program excited, but also uncertain about what doctoral study would bring. One moment from the 2024 pre-orientation has stayed with her throughout her experience. During an alumni panel, one graduate offered advice about imposter syndrome: “Do not let it consume you, because you belong in this program and your work has value to our field.”
For Taisha, that message helped ease some of the uncertainty she felt entering the program and reminded her that her experiences as a teacher, coach, and practitioner have value within both scholarship and the broader field of kinesiology. As she continues through the EdD program, Taisha is doing exactly that, bringing together teaching, coaching, research, leadership, and community engagement while creating new opportunities for the students and athletes she serves. The Bell Creek Academy Powerlifting Club may still be young, but its reach continues to grow through competition, community engagement, and research. The Osprey Observer recently featured Taisha and the club, sharing more about its beginnings, growth, community partnerships, and future goals.
If you are interested in learning more about how the EdD in KIN program might be a great fit for you, please check out our EdD in KIN website, especially the EdD stories and FAQ pages along with the downloadable brochure.