My passion is to pursue a career in physical therapy. As a physical therapist, I will not only help people who are injured and need help recovering but also give back to my community and my family. What first got me interested in a career in physical therapy was the experience my dad and I had with physical therapists. My father has been to physical therapy multiple times for many different injuries. I was amazed at how exercise can be used to treat all kinds of injuries and help people get back to doing everyday activities. My dad is my biggest supporter and motivator. By being a physical therapist I can take care of him and provide for him in the future. From my own experience, I learned how physically and mentally challenging it can be to overcome an injury that impairs you from doing what you love. I had surgery on my dominant wrist which was a physical challenge since I was still in school. I couldn’t play the sport I loved and I had no hope of being able to completely return. But, with the help of a physical therapist, I was able to overcome my physical and mental struggles and get back to playing the sport I loved. Through this experience, I learned how a physical therapist could help both physical and mental health. As a future physical therapist, not only will I work on a patient's physical health, I will help them through the mental struggles that injured patients go through. I want to be able to help someone get back to doing what they love, just like my physical therapist did for me. I want to make a positive impact on people's lives. I enjoy being physically active by exercising or playing sports, and I love to coach. What I enjoyed most about coaching was seeing the joy on the kid's faces when they finally were able to accomplish a skill that I had helped them learn. As a physical therapist, I can help my patients improve their quality of life and be able to see that same joy on their faces when they are able to get back to doing what they love. Throughout my education, all of my teachers, especially those who taught anatomy and physiology, supported me in my career pathway. Someday, I would like to teach anatomy and physiology at the undergraduate level, because that is when students will decide whether to go into a career in health care. I want to be able to support them through their career pathway, just like my teachers did for me. Both of my anatomy teachers helped me get to where I am today. I inspire them to be like them by helping other students get into physical therapy school. Getting into physical therapy school is definitely not easy or cheap. One of the requirements for getting into graduate school is to complete a minimum of one hundred hours of observing physical therapists in a different setting. Once I start my career I would love to help students get the hours they need by allowing them to observe me and help them find other settings to observe in. When I was finding places to shadow it was difficult because of COVID and all the restrictions that had to be placed especially in hospital settings. I want to make this process easier for future students. I am also willing to write letters of recommendation for students.

I want to pursue a career in healthcare because I want to be able to help others and be able to take care of my family. I choose to follow a career in physical therapy for multiple reasons. First, I was exposed to this career through my own experience and my family's experience. My father has been to physical therapy multiple times for many different injuries. I was amazed at how exercise can be used to treat all kinds of injuries and help people get back to doing normal everyday activities. My dad is my biggest motivator. He is supporting me by helping me pay for my education. I plan on being able to provide for him in the future. He is the reason I aspire to become a physical therapist. From my own experience, I learned how physically and mentally challenging it can be to overcome an injury that impairs you from doing what you love. Through this experience, I learned how a physical therapist can help both physical and mental health. As a future physical therapist not only will I work on a patient's physical health, I will help them through the mental struggles that injured patients go through. The second reason I choose to pursue a career in physical therapy is that in high school, my favorite class was anatomy, and it was still my favorite class throughout undergraduate school. I also enjoy being physically active by exercising or playing sports, and I love to coach. What I enjoyed most about coaching is seeing the joy on the kid's faces when they finally were able to accomplish a skill that I had helped them learn. As a physical therapist, I can help my patients improve their quality of life and be able to see that same joy on their faces when they are able to get back to doing what they love. My experiences and the things that I enjoy led me to pursue a career in physical therapy. Another reason I choose physical therapy over any other career was my experience playing college sports. What I enjoyed most about playing sports was the training and developing a training program that would not only help improve performance but also prevent injuries to myself and my teammates. Through sports, I learned the importance of exercising and as a physical therapist, I will continue to promote exercising to my patients so that they can live healthy lives. In undergraduate school, I had an amazing mentor who is a physical therapist and teaches anatomy. I aspire to be just like her in the future. After I get many years of experience being a physical therapist I would like to also teach and be able to inspire others to pursue a career in healthcare. Throughout my education, all of my teachers, especially those who taught anatomy and physiology, supported me in my career pathway. Someday, I would like to teach anatomy and physiology at the undergraduate level, because that is when students will be deciding whether or not to go into a career in health care. I want to be able to support them through their career pathway, just like my teachers did for me.

My passion is to pursue a career in physical therapy. As a physical therapist, I will not only help people who are injured and need help recovering but also give back to my community and my family. I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare because I want to be able to help others and be able to take care of my family. What first got me interested in a career in physical therapy was the experience my dad and I had with physical therapists. My father has been to physical therapy multiple times for many different injuries. I was amazed at how exercise can be used to treat all kinds of injuries and help people get back to doing normal everyday activities. My dad is my biggest motivator. He is supporting me by helping me pay for my education. By being a physical therapist I can take care of him and provide for him in the future. He is the reason I aspire to become a physical therapist. From my own experience, I learned how physically and mentally challenging it can be to overcome an injury that impairs you from doing what you love. I had surgery on my dominant wrist which was a physical challenge since I was still in school. I couldn’t play the sport I loved and I had no hope of being able to completely return. But, with the help of a physical therapist, I was able to overcome my physical and mental struggles and get back to playing the sport I loved. Through this experience, I learned how a physical therapist could help both physical and mental health. As a future physical therapist, not only will I work on a patient's physical health, I will help them through the mental struggles that injured patients go through. I want to be able to help someone get back to doing what they love, just like my physical therapist did for me. I want to make a positive impact on people's lives. The second reason I chose to pursue a career in physical therapy is that in high school, my favorite class was anatomy, and it was still my favorite class throughout undergraduate school. I also enjoy being physically active by exercising or playing sports, and I love to coach. What I enjoyed most about coaching is seeing the joy on the kid's faces when they finally were able to accomplish a skill that I had helped them learn. As a physical therapist, I can help my patients improve their quality of life and be able to see that same joy on their faces when they are able to get back to doing what they love. I am very excited to pursue a career in physical therapy. Currently, I am in Bellarmine University's doctorate physical therapy program. In three years I will be a certified physical therapist. I will make the world a better place by pursuing a career in physical therapy.

Kickstart My Heart by Motely Crue. This is the song I always listen to before stepping out onto the field to play softball. This song was also my walk-up song. The song got me pumped up but also got me in a winning mindset. If I ever need to get pumped up to lift heavy weights at the gym this is the song I would play. This song is what I would listen to to help me get prepared for difficult tasks. When I have a big test I will listen to this song to help me get ready and focused. When I am feeling down about myself I listen to this song to remind me that I can be confident. Every time I hear this song it brings me back good memories. Memories of softball and playing with my friends. This song will always make me smile when I hear it.

The process of living a healthy lifestyle is actually quite simple. Most of us have learned how at a very young age. In elementary school, we were taught a version of the healthy eating plate and the food pyramid which depicted plate portions based on food groups. We were also required to be physically active through physical education, sports, and/or recess. These physical activities taught us how important it is to drink water. We learned the basic steps of how to live a healthy life. The last step in achieving a healthy lifestyle is to choose happiness, something that my own dad constantly preaches. A happy life and living a healthy lifestyle should be considered the same. So as long as you consume enough water, eat a balanced meal, be physically active, and choose happiness you can live a healthy lifestyle. Human bodies are sixty percent water, so water is essential for a healthy lifestyle. A lot of people struggle to achieve a healthy lifestyle because they replace water with other liquids that might not be as healthy for them. Although completely cutting out other liquids isn’t necessary to live a healthy lifestyle. Simply having a sufficient consumption of water every day can be an easy way to have a healthy lifestyle. We all learn at a very young age what a healthy portion of food looks like. Half of the plate should be vegetables and fruit, and the other half should be split between grains and protein. Even with dietary restrictions, everyone should be able to follow this healthy guide, but sometimes it can be difficult. Since healthy food is more expensive than highly processed food, it is more tempting to purchase non-healthy food. Though there are always ways to eat healthy even on a budget. It is important to consume enough calories to have enough energy for your body to function, and it is also important not to consume more than what is recommended. The biggest challenge to a healthy lifestyle is obesity. Physical activity is the key to reducing obesity and other physical impairments that are caused by a sedentary lifestyle. It's important to get up and walk around any chance you get. In order to not be in a sedentary lifestyle, a person must be physical activity at least thirty minutes per day. Physically activity has also been shown to decrease stress levels which in turn lead to a happier, healthier lifestyle. The most important part about living a healthy lifestyle is choosing to live a life of happiness. Being happy and being healthy are one and the same. Being happy can be really difficult for some people, but it is actually quite simple. Simply surround yourself with the people you love and do the things you love. If being physically active is what makes you happy then that is a healthy lifestyle. Do hobbies that you enjoy like listening to music, spending time outside, or even trying new things. Enjoy the small things in life. Be grateful for what you have and just try to enjoy your life. Don’t let the small things get you down. Choosing to be positive even in a negative situation will make it easier to live a healthy and happy lifestyle. Being positive is a lot easier when you are surrounded by people who are also positive. Don’t let others affect your mood. Stress levels have been shown to decrease when you spend time with people. A happier lifestyle can be achieved by being less stressed, which in turn makes your lifestyle healthier.