My story…
I have quite the unique story when it comes to why I decided to go into physical therapy. I am one of the few people that decided what I wanted to be at the age of three and I never changed my mind. When I was young, I had two disabled siblings that have since passed away. They helped me to become who I am today. One of my favorite memories of them was attending their physical therapy visits. I found it so fun and engaging, as if we were just there to play. From that point on, I was hooked. I wanted the job where I could just play all day.
During my junior year of high school, I tore nearly every ligament in my knee playing football. To make a long story short, I ended up with four knee surgeries over the next four years and spent a grand total of 28 months in physical therapy. I got to experience many different therapists in many different clinics, and from that point on I knew that I wanted to do this for a living. This is what brought me to my undergraduate program in exercise science.
I was unsure of how I would get to the doctoral program for physical therapy, I just knew I was motivated to get there. Being a first generation college student in my family, I was told by many that the odds of me making it that far in my education was very unlikely and that I should maybe set my goals to be a little bit more obtainable. But because I am stubborn, being told that I cannot do something motivates me to do so even more. I was accepted into the physical therapy program at the University of Utah on my very first attempt. They saw something special in me and I was determined to not let them down.
