Eric Hollingsworth is giving back.
After completing his pandemic-shortened junior year with the IUPUI men's tennis program, Hollingsworth returned to his hometown of Richmond, Indiana in early March. Before long, he began looking for work relevant to his major—nursing—in the hopes of gaining more practical experience in a hospital.
Since May 11, Hollingsworth has been working as a student nurse technician at a local general hospital, Reid Health. Some of his everyday tasks include taking patients' vital signs, bathing and feeding them when necessary, as well as administering IVs and catheters. While part of Hollingsworth's med-surg clinical was wiped out by COVID-19 this spring, his job at Reid is effectively a continuation of that experience.
Of course, Hollingsworth's new position brings him closer to the front line of the pandemic than ever before. While there aren't a great number of COVID-19 patients in his unit, he and his coworkers always adhere to the necessary precautions.
"Before we go into any patient's room, regardless of COVID status, we have to put on a gown, gloves, a mask and a face shield for optimal protection," Hollingsworth explained. "I feel pretty safe about it."
Hollingsworth approaches his nursing responsibilities with the same dedication that has served him well as a student-athlete. He has been named to the Academic Advisor's List throughout his college career, all the while being a key component of the Jaguars tennis team. Hollingsworth's best season was his sophomore campaign, when he led IUPUI with a 15-15 singles record and a 15-8 doubles record en route to winning his first singles match in the 2019 Horizon League tournament.
"I love all my teammates," he said. "We play really well together, and we motivate each other all the time. We make sure everyone's putting in 100% effort, and overall we just work really well together."
Hollingsworth was inspired to pick up a tennis racquet by his father, who once played in college, and has been involved with the sport for as long as he can remember. He committed to IUPUI after a positive first visit, drawn in by both the tennis program and the style of the downtown campus. During his time as a Jaguar, Hollingsworth learned several important life lessons, including time management: the ability to stay committed to schoolwork no matter how tired you might be from tennis. And he credits his father with helping him learn these lessons.
"[My dad's] been right by my side the whole way," Hollingsworth spoke. "He's always pushed me to the best I can be. He was the one waking me up in the morning, asking me to go hit, getting on me about doing workouts and stuff."
Although Hollingsworth missed time last season with a lower abdominal injury that hindered his ability to serve, he managed to compile a 3-10 record in singles and 3-6 in doubles when he was able to play. The Richmond native is optimistic that he can put together an injury-free campaign in 2020-21, and he is equally confident about IUPUI's ability to rebound after a tough 3-10 season.
"I know things are kind of up in the air right now, but I'm hoping that we as a team can have a great fall to start out," Hollingsworth said. "I really do think we can win a conference title next year. We have a great group of guys coming back and we have a good few additions coming in as well."
Until then, the Jaguar tennis veteran takes pride in helping people feel better, and he is intentional about personalizing their stay at Reid. Through conversing with patients and asking them about their lives, Hollingsworth aims to help them find a measure of positivity in these troubled times.
