The combination of an investigative mindset with a caring approach defines Coppell High School head athletic trainer Yvette Carson.

Carson’s interest in athletic training was fostered from a young age. Being the daughter of a multi-sport coach, Carson has been on the sidelines her entire life.

“I don’t remember ever not being on the sidelines,” Carson said. “I can’t watch a game from the stands – it doesn’t seem right for me.”

When she was 8, Carson first experienced sports medicine. During a football game at Rosebud-Lott High School in central Texas, where her father coached, a defensive back was during the game, and Carson assisted the doctor tending to the injury.

“I remember very distinctly watching the tests that the doctor did for that kiddo and, even as an 8-year-old, when I heard that young man say, ‘doc, I can’t feel my feet,’ I knew something was wrong,” Carson said. “That was one of those moments when I knew that I wanted to do something.”

After graduating from the University of Texas at Austin with a degree in kinesiology, Carson worked as an athletic trainer for four years at Arlington Lamar High School prior to coming to Coppell High School in 2004. Carson credits her success to the support she’s received in Coppell over the years.

“I’ve been really lucky,” Carson said. “I’ve had really good coaches around me at Coppell, I’ve had really good administration at Coppell, I’ve had really good work partners at Coppell and I’ve had really good kids at Coppell. All of that has come together to shape why I’m still doing this.”

Carson finds the exploratory and investigative aspects of her career the most interesting.

“It was the inquiry part that drew me in – how did this happen, why did this happen, and how do we fix it?” Carson said. “One thing I’ve learned that is really fun about athletic training is that nothing stays stagnant. There’s always different treatment methods and new things to learn.”

With her 20 years of athletic training experience at CHS, Carson is one of the district’s most tenured member of athletics faculty. As such, members of the Coppell community trust Carson and her abilities to care for athletes.

“The coaches and parents know that Coach Carson is always going to take care of their athletes, that she’s got the best intentions of the programs, and that she’s going to make the right decisions,” CHS Medical Terminology and Pathophysiology teacher Ray Pool said. “She doesn’t have to work that hard to gain trust and prove herself – the community knows that she’s stable, and that with her experience comes good judgment.”

Pool said Carson’s strength is her compassion for each student.

“She’s always been the most caring,” Pool said. “She always knows every kid on the team, knows what injuries they had and takes the time to work with each athlete and become one of their biggest fans.”

CHS 2013 graduate Jaquelynn Pham, who now works with Carson as an assistant athletic trainer, said the personal relationships Carson forges with her students make lasting impacts.

“She’ll remember random facts about you from 10 years ago that even you’ve forgotten,” Pham said. “She meets every student where they are at – every student’s personality is different, and she’s very good at adjusting her approach to meet students where they’re at so that no one feels uncomfortable. It truly shows that she cares about her students.”

Pham said Carson has always supported her students through any challenges and reaching their goals.

“She’s like a cool aunt,” Pham said. “In high school, she always provided a safe place for all of us to come and talk to her, and if we needed help with anything, she’d help us problem solve. Even now, I tell Carson every day that she’s a big part of the reason I became a physical therapist.”

For Carson, the best part of her job is the people.

“The relationships that you build with people really do stay with you,” Carson said. “I may go years and years without seeing a kid and then I’ll see them at a football game and they’ll yell at me, ‘Hey, Ms. Carson!’ That’s the part I enjoy the most – building those relationships with different kids and getting to see them as adults – it’s incredibly gratifying.”

The individual relationships are strong and long-lasting, setting her apart from the crowd.

“If somebody gets hurt, watching them get to play again is great and all, but that’s just a moment,” Carson said. “I like to see them in five or 10 years, what they’re like then. That resonates with me a lot more.”

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