I grew up watching my mom work as a pediatric physical therapist, and I did not really understand how meaningful it was until I started being part of it. My younger sister Quinn has Down syndrome, and she has been one of the biggest reasons I want to go into this field. I have spent a lot of time watching her go through therapy, and I have also helped my mom during sessions with her and other kids. I have seen her work on things like walking and communicating, and I have seen how much patience it really takes. When Quinn was younger, there were a lot of things that did not come easily for her. Simple movements that other kids never had to think about took time and effort. I remember realizing that progress could be very slow, but it still mattered. Even small improvements meant something. My mom never treated those moments like they were small, though. She always celebrated them and kept pushing forward in a calm way that made the kids feel safe instead of pressured. As I got older, I started helping more. I would sit in on sessions and sometimes help guide kids through exercises. I also coach a swim team that includes both typical kids and kids with disabilities, and I give private lessons as well. Some of the moments that stay with me the most are not big achievements but small ones. Like a kid who was scared to get in the water at first, slowly trusting me enough to try. Or a swimmer who needed extra help is finally doing something on their own. Those moments do not seem huge from the outside, but when you are there, they feel like everything. What has always stood out to me about my mom is the impact she has on families. She is not just helping a child learn how to move better. She is helping them gain independence and confidence in their daily life. She also supports the parents who are learning how to help their child grow. Watching her has made me realize how much care and patience this job really takes. It is not just therapy sessions. It is trust built over time. My sister has made this even more personal for me. I have seen her struggle, but I have also seen her improve in ways that once felt impossible. Being part of that process, even in small ways, has shown me how meaningful this kind of work really is. I want to become a pediatric physical therapist who works in homes because I want kids to feel safe and comfortable where they already are. I want to help them move in ways that give them more freedom, not less. More than anything, I want to help kids feel like their disability is not what defines what they can or cannot do. I may still be learning, but I already understand what kind of impact I want to make. I want to help kids take steps forward at their own pace and remind them that even slow progress is still progress that matters. Looking ahead, I am committed to continuing my education and experiences so that I can support children and their families even more effectively in the future, always emphasizing growth, patience, and encouragement.

I am the quiet kid who somehow ended up in the front row of every performance in front of hundreds of people. I learned how to smile on stage after someone actually held my face and showed me what I was doing wrong. My awkward thing has always been that I am really quiet, but I open up when I am on stage. I do not talk much in large groups, and I usually keep to myself, so most people would not guess that I spend a lot of time performing in front of an audience. During my freshman year in the Clover Choraliers, I was very nervous. It is an auditioned choir, so not everyone makes it in, and even though I loved singing, I was not confident when people were watching me. I remember one day a senior named Angel telling me I had a bad face when I sang. She meant I looked nervous and unhappy, not confident. It turned into a moment where I had to stand in front of a class of about 125 kids and sing with what she called a good face. She even took my face in her hands and showed me what I needed to fix. I was really embarrassed and did not know what to say or do, but I never forgot it. Not long after that was our Christmas show, and I found out I was going to be in the front row. That made me even more nervous. I remember standing there before we went on stage, thinking I did not belong there, where everyone could see me. When the curtain opened, I just tried to focus on the music and the choreography and not the audience. I kept thinking about what Angel showed me and tried my best to do it even though it felt awkward at first. Over time, it got easier. I stopped worrying so much about how I looked and started focusing more on the performance. I learned that confidence is not something you just have. It is something you build by doing things even when you feel uncomfortable. After that first show, I stayed in the front row for every performance all the way through my senior year in the Clover Choraliers. I was never the loudest person in the room, but I learned how to be seen without feeling like I had to change who I am. Now I want to become a pediatric physical therapist who works in homes. I think being quiet will actually help me with that. I am someone who listens, pays attention, and tries to make people feel comfortable. My experience in choir helped me learn how to step forward when I need to, even when I feel nervous, and that is something I will carry with me. I may still be the quiet kid, but I am no longer afraid to stand where people can see me.

My name is Erin Stanton, I am currently a 17 year old high school senior. I am on varsity swim team and Choraliers. I am in honors, duel enrollment and AP classes. I work as a lifeguard and a swim coach. I have experience doing swim lessons with both typical and neuro divergent children. I also babysit both typical and non verbal children. My passion is healthcare. I enjoy working with and caring for people of all types but especially children. When I was 8 years old my baby sister was born with a heart condition and Down syndrome. At the time I had no idea how much this would impact my life and everything I did from that point forward. I started to become super involved in getting to know the special needs children in my school. I became a unified buddy, helped children in the classroom and at my mothers work. My mother is a pediatric physical therapist. I would go to the clinic she worked at and help with the children. I really started to see through their eyes and their families eyes various accomplishments that I took for granted. I would help my mother come up with ideas to make therapy more fun. My family started to surround themselves with other people from the Down syndrome community and to be honest this is where my best friends came from. The siblings of the other Down syndrome kids and I would connect immediately because we understood the differences our families faced. I remember sitting on the floor and handing my sister toys or clapping for her as she reached for them during therapy sessions. My mom used to make hard work play, and this alone can turn therapy into enjoyable, encouraging moments. The pride and excitement on my sister's face when she reached a new goal created so much joy in my home. It was those very moments that I realized that physical therapy is more than just a career, it is actually a way to bring hope, strength, and confidence to others. Life was not always easy with my sister. It took her much longer to learn things, as nothing appeared to come naturally to her. She had so many specialist that it seemed like she was always at the doctor. I would sometimes get jealous of all the attention she would get but ultimately realize she has made me a better human. I love unconditionally, appreciate the small stuff and have become determined to change society’s views and expectations of a disability. My dream is to become a physical therapist with my own business dedicated to changing the lives of disabled children and their families.

My Mom has been my greatest inspiration ever since I was little. She owns a pediatric physical therapy clinic, and I grew up watching her dedicate her time and heart to helping children overcome challenges. But the moment that truly shaped my dream was observing her work with my younger sister, who was born with Down syndrome. It was amazing to see Mom guide my sister through every milestone in her life: teaching her to crawl, then to stand, and finally to walk. That showed me the incredible impact physical therapy can have, not just on a child's development but on a whole family's life. I remember sitting on the floor and handing my sister toys or clapping for her as she reached for them during therapy sessions. My mom used to make hard work play, and this alone can turn therapy into enjoyable, encouraging moments. The pride and excitement on my sister's face when she reached a new goal created so much joy in my home. It was those very moments that I realized that physical therapy is more than just a career, it is actually a way to bring hope, strength, and confidence to others. Over the years, as I have grown older, I watched how much love, patience, and creativity my mom poured into every child she came in contact with. Her empathetic nature and determination have influenced me to follow the same path. My dream is to go to physical therapy school, specialize in pediatrics, and one day take over her clinic so her legacy can continue. In order to make this dream a reality I will need to get into undergraduate school in either exercise science or kinesiology. I will have to maintain good grades throughout to then apply to the very competitive Doctor of Physical Therapy program. My dream is to attend University of South Carolina for both. While in school I will need to obtain as much experience as I can in the field of physical therapy, healthcare and working with the pediatric population. I obtained my Certified Nursing Assistant during my senior year of high school that I plan to use as my college job being a care giver to a special needs child. This will further my experience with the special needs community and help a family who needs respite care. It will be a great pleasure to use my experience to be helpful to a family.

My Mom has been my greatest inspiration ever since I was little. She owns a pediatric physical therapy clinic, and I grew up watching her dedicate her time and heart to helping children overcome challenges. The moment that truly shaped my dream was observing her work with my younger sister, who was born with Down syndrome. It was amazing to see Mom guide my sister through every milestone in her life: teaching her to sit, crawl, then to stand, and finally to walk. That showed me the incredible impact physical therapy can have, not just on a child's development but on a whole family's life. When I was 8 years old my baby sister was born with a heart condition and Down syndrome. At the time I had no idea how much this would impact my life and everything I did from that point forward. I started to become super involved in getting to know the special needs children in my school. I became a unified buddy, helped children in the classroom and at my mothers work. As my sister was growing up I would go to her various doctor’s appointments and therapy visits. I would ask questions and tried to participate as much as I could to help my sister. I remember sitting on the floor and handing my sister toys or clapping for her as she reached for them during therapy sessions. My mom used to make hard work play, and this alone can turn therapy into enjoyable, encouraging moments. The pride and excitement on my sister's face when she reached a new goal created so much joy in my home. It was those very moments that I realized that physical therapy is more than just a career, it is actually a way to bring hope, strength, and confidence to others. Life was not always easy with my sister. It took her much longer to learn things, as nothing appeared to come naturally to her. She had so many specialist that it seemed like she was always at the doctor. I would sometimes get jealous of all the attention she would get but ultimately realize she has made me a better human. I love unconditionally, appreciate the small stuff and have become determined to change society’s views and expectations of a disability. Over the years, as I have grown older, I watched how much love, patience, and creativity my mom poured into every child she came in contact with. Her empathetic nature and determination have influenced me to follow the same path. My dream is to go to physical therapy school, specialize in pediatrics, and one day take over her clinic so her legacy can continue.

My name is Erin Stanton, I am currently a 17 year old high school senior. I am on varsity swim team and Choraliers. I am in honors, duel enrollment and AP classes. I work as a lifeguard and a swim coach. I have experience doing swim lessons with both typical and neuro divergent children. I also babysit both typical and non verbal children. My passion is healthcare. I enjoy working with and caring for people of all types but especially children. When I was 8 years old my baby sister was born with a heart condition and Down syndrome. At the time I had no idea how much this would impact my life and everything I did from that point forward. I started to become super involved in getting to know the special needs children in my school. I became a unified buddy, helped children in the classroom and at my mothers work. My mother is a pediatric physical therapist. I would go to the clinic she worked at and help with the children. I really started to see through their eyes and their families eyes various accomplishments that I took for granted. I would help my mother come up with ideas to make therapy more fun. My family started to surround themselves with other people from the Down syndrome community and to be honest this is where my best friends came from. The siblings of the other Down syndrome kids and I would connect immediately because we understood the differences our families faced. As my sister was growing up I would go to her various doctor’s appointments and therapy visits. I would ask questions and tried to participate as much as I could to help my sister. At this point I decided I wanted to become a pediatric physical therapist. As a therapist I will have the ability to teach a child a new skill that they will have for the rest of their lives. I will have the ability to relate to the families on a different level than other therapist having the experience with my sister. Life was not always easy with my sister. It took her much longer to learn things, as nothing appeared to come naturally to her. She had so many specialist that it seemed like she was always at the doctor. I would sometimes get jealous of all the attention she would get but ultimately realize she has made me a better human. I love unconditionally, appreciate the small stuff and have become determined to change society’s views and expectations of a disability. My dream is to become a physical therapist with my own business dedicated to changing the lives of disabled children and their families.