I am a first year student at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo majoring in kinesiology. I am extremely invested in the world of sports and health. I have been playing soccer since I was four years old. Up until my early days of high school I was solely invested in soccer and prided myself in doing the best I could. My dream was to become a professional soccer player and play under the lights for a stadium full of people. My sophomore year of high school caused me to heavily reflect on my dream however, as I suffered a slow and discouraging knee injury that put me out of the game for over a year and a half. I needed multiple surgeries and had to undergo a year of physical therapy. At the time, I had friends and family telling me things such as, “everything happens for a reason” and “don’t worry, you’ll come back stronger than ever”. These are not things that I was open to hearing during that time and it felt very discouraging and condescending. Little did I know it would all turn out to be true. I started to think about what I would do with my life without soccer and how I could still do something that I was just as passionate about, but was more within the realm of reality. This is where my physical therapy program came in not only as a way to heal my knee, but to spark my interest in something I could do with my future. I quickly took interest in all the ways they analyze patients, the knowledge they possess about the human body, and the amazing things they do for people’s lives. Being able to assess someone and identify what is causing them pain or discomfort and then come up with a solution to ease and comfort them seemed as cool as a superpower. I developed a vision in my head about helping young athletes like myself, overcome their injuries and get back to doing what they love. This vision still motivates me and it is what I revert to thinking about when I feel discouraged. Just like myself, many people view sports as an outlet to escape the difficulties of life for just a moment. When something gets in the way of that peace it can feel like everything in life is out to get you. With my experience, I am confident that I can positively affect people’s lives by not only guiding them through a program that will help their physical body, but help be a light of encouragement for them through their difficult time. I knew that physical therapy was something I would love doing and it was partially related to sports which, at the time, made it feel something along the lines of “fate”. Now, here I am studying to become the physical therapist that I so desperately want to be. Trudging through the general education requirements my first year at Cal Poly has had its times of difficulty because I do not feel like I am getting any closer to my end goal and I am still dumping money into my education. While my parents have been incredibly generous in helping me pay for as much as they can spare, it is difficult when I do not have any other scholarships and only loans that I fear will build up by the time I graduate. This scholarship will be a huge help in being able to pay for my expenses and ensure I am able to continue studying to achieve my goal.

Do not go to school with a negative mindset. You may be dreading having to go back to school after what seemed like such a short summer, but it is important to remember the opportunity you have in your life. You have the opportunity to pursue anything that you are passionate about doing. Whether it be going into college to pursue a further education or going right into your dream job. Either way it is important to find something you are passionate about and work hard towards it, because it really is an amazing opportunity to be able to pursue whatever it is that you are passionate about. Instagram: Adam.pfarr9

I have been playing soccer since I was four years old. I have played on club teams, school teams, Sunday league teams, and even indoor soccer teams. My dream has always been to play soccer in college and hopefully go even further to play professionally. Soccer has always been my safe haven. I have met all my best friends through playing soccer and had the best memories playing the sport with them. My hope is that all of the best times are not behind me and I will be able to create new connections and relationships with my future college and team playing soccer. Soccer also happens to be the reason I decided to pursue a career in the field of physical therapy. In just the third game of my Sophomore soccer season in high school I completely tore my ACL. At the time my doctor and I thought it was a small meniscus tear and that it would heal with a few weeks of rest. Once the three weeks were over I got back out on the field only to have my knee give out in my first game back. However, I continued to play game after game having my knee give out every time and each time getting more and more discouraged. I finally accepted that I needed to go back to the doctor and see what was wrong. After I got an MRI I got the confirmation that I would need a reconstruction surgery and would not be able to play soccer for over a year. This all happened in the second semester of my Sophomore year during the pandemic and everything just came tumbling down on me. I lost all my motivation for school and soccer. Once my Junior year had started I was determined to turn my situation around by having a quick recovery and getting good grades throughout all my classes. I began working hard in physical therapy and keeping up with my schoolwork. My physical therapist said I was recovering at a pace almost two months ahead of time and I had straight As in all of my classes. This is when I realized I wanted to pursue physical therapy. It is what helped me stay motivated and my therapist encouraged me to get stronger to get back on the field. My thought has been that I can do the same thing for my future clients. Having been through an injury and having to recover from it, I believe that I can offer relatable advice and encouragement to people in the same situation. Fast forward to today, I have just been cleared to play by my surgeon and physical therapist. I plan to have the best Senior year I can have for soccer and in my classes. I am excited to be back on the right track working towards a career path that I am so excited for and getting better and better in my sport.