All of a sudden my heart felt as if it was pounding out of my chest, it felt as if my heart was fluttering uncontrollably. After some time the initial fear eased and I recognized it was only a panic attack. I struggled to find the words to describe the feeling that I had experienced as most of my family did not understand and I could not shake the feeling for many days after. Although this experience was about six years ago, I still struggle to find the words to truly justify the feeling of anxiety and panic attacks. Recognizing the panic attack made me consider the anxiety I had faced my entire life and many behaviors I exhibited as a child stemmed purely from my anxiety that still affects me today. There are many areas of my life that may have ignited anxiety. I grew up with divorced parents and most of the time living with my mom and grandparents for the first seven years of my life. During this time I unexpectedly lost my grandma when I was six and lived with my grandfather while he suffered from dementia. Losing a loved one unexpectedly at a young age while watching another loved one progress from an incurable diseases was a hardship I faced that may have played a role in the development of my own anxiety. Although the cause of my anxiety will forever be unknown, I have used this adversity to strengthen my own mental health and view the world with a forgiving perspective. The many times I have felt overwhelmed with a debilitating sense of “doom” with no physical threats to my well being has made me understand everyone may be going through hidden battles. This has allowed me to walk through life with a forgiving perspective as I know people may not show the battles they are facing. Throughout my future career as a Physical Therapist I hope to help patients find a sense of well being through exercise. Yoga has been a valuable tool in my own battles with anxiety and I would love to utilize breathing techniques, relaxation exercises, and other movement goals to help improve my patients mental health. The struggles I have faced with anxiety has helped shape me as an understanding clinician who is aware of the internal factors that may play a role in a patients recovery. I believe my awareness and tools I have developed can help change the lives of many who also battle anxiety.

The field of strength and conditioning is transitioning into an approach based around function. This shift not only helps current athletes focused on strength and conditioning, but also broadens the world of strength and conditioning by opening the door for many other groups who would have not previously considered strengthening programs. Transitioning to a functional approach of strength and conditioning will help athletes focus on strength training muscle groups and movement patterns that are sport specific. This is beneficial for sports performance as well as injury prevention and can help improve training outcomes while keeping athletes more engaged. Working sport specific muscle groups during specialized durations and intensities will benefit the athlete on the field. Transitioning to a functional based program also welcomes older adults and many other populations into the realm of strength and conditioning. If we train our older adults with functional movements they use in their daily life with an intensity goal in the power range, it greatly reduces fall risk and can benefit them greatly in their activities of daily living. Understanding specific diseases and impairments can guide the program to help the patient function throughout their daily life. Throughout my future career as a Physical Therapist I hope to take into account each individuals personal factors and embrace my creativity to craft specialized strength and conditioning programs for each individual client. Utilizing a more functional approach for patients will benefit the patients as well as the Physical Therapists, personal trainers, and strength coaches. Through completion of a patient needs analysis the patient can gain a specialized program that targets their own goals, life roles, and participation restrictions. In order to do this great creativity is required from the professional they are working with and the variability amongst exercise programs will promote growth, development, and an evidence based practice to further progress the field. The ever changing programs will also help prevent “burnout” from occurring in the exercise specialist. Fighting burnout is an issue many healthcare workers face in a career that can often desensitize workers to individuals struggles. Instead of prescribing patients a preset exercise program based on their impairments, it will help promote recognition of the patients internal and external factors that may impact their life and help uniquely shape their program. Recognizing the patient or client as more than just their impairments or deficits will help fight burnout in this field. Ultimately, the movement of the strength and conditioning field into functional strengthening will benefit all patients and exercise specialists while promoting an inclusive environment for everyone.

Each year, I find myself growing continuously more passionate about physical therapy. Initially, I was introduced to the career through my own sports injuries. This led me to volunteer in high school to gain more knowledge about the career. Through this, I realized physical therapy was a career I was interested in and I pursued a degree in Kinesiology with a pre-Physical Therapy emphasis at San Diego State University. My interest in the career grew as I continued taking classes, working in a research lab, and volunteering. In 2020, I started working in a research lab with a professor in the DPT program at SDSU when I was a sophomore and I am an author on two papers in the process of being published. My years working in the research lab provided me with great knowledge of technology like EMG, motion capture, electrogoniometry, and much more. I was also able to volunteer in the physical therapy department at UCSD Hospital, an outpatient pediatric clinic, and Rady’s Children’s Hospital. Volunteering in the physical therapy department at Rady’s helped me understand the impact physical therapy can have on patient's lives and the great reward I felt for helping others. Each day I left the hospital, I felt a great sense of meaning as I witnessed the benefits physical therapy had on patients' lives. This experience showed me that physical therapy is a great career choice because it is extremely rewarding and meaningful. In May of 2023, I was awarded the American Kinesiology Association’s local scholar award and graduated from SDSU as the Outstanding Undergraduate from the Exercise and Nutritional Sciences Department. The same month I started at California State University of Long Beach in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The program has further increased my passion for the career as we have learned vital knowledge and gained meaningful experiences. This past semester, I was able to help build adaptive bikes for children and help show their families how to properly adjust the seating for them. This experience was extremely rewarding as I got to see the children enjoy the bikes after all the hard work I had put into building them. This was also extremely beneficial as I learned how to work with adaptive equipment that is used so often in physical therapy. I also volunteered with some classmates at an adaptive paddle board clinic where we utilized adaptive paddle boards that can carry wheelchairs. This was another experience that helped broaden my knowledge of adaptive equipment and increased the importance of physical therapy to me. Through each of my experiences, physical therapy has continued to grow in importance as I have seen what it can do for others. The APTA’s vision statement states that physical therapy is “transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience.” This statement is something I truly believe in as physical therapy’s importance is best defined in its ability to improve the human experience and transform society. I hope to implement this vision throughout my physical therapy career and to contribute to the profession greatly. Utilizing research to help improve physical therapy treatments is extremely vital, however, it is clear that areas like spinal cord injury and geriatric rehabilitation are greatly under-studied. I would love to contribute to the profession as a researcher, but also as a caring clinician who considers all aspects of a patient including their physical health, participation in life roles, and personal factors that may contribute to their quality of life. I am confident in my hard work, creativity, and entrepreneurship to help lead and transform the profession.

Each year, I find myself growing continuously more passionate about physical therapy. Initially, I was introduced to the career through my own sports injuries. This led me to volunteer in high school to gain more knowledge about the career. Through this, I realized physical therapy was a career I was interested in and I pursued a degree in Kinesiology with a pre-Physical Therapy emphasis at San Diego State University. My interest in the career grew as I continued taking classes, working in a research lab, and volunteering. In 2020, I started working in a research lab with a professor in the DPT program at SDSU when I was a sophomore and I am an author on two papers in the process of being published. My years working in the research lab provided me with great knowledge of technology like EMG, motion capture, electrogoniometry, and much more. I was also able to volunteer in the physical therapy department at UCSD Hospital, an outpatient pediatric clinic, and Rady’s Children’s Hospital. Volunteering in the physical therapy department at Rady’s helped me understand the impact physical therapy can have on patient's lives and the great reward I felt for helping others. Each day I left the hospital, I felt a great sense of meaning as I witnessed the benefits physical therapy had on patients' lives. This experience showed me that physical therapy is a great career choice because it is extremely rewarding and meaningful. In May of 2023, I was awarded the American Kinesiology Association’s local scholar award and graduated from SDSU as the Outstanding Undergraduate from the Exercise and Nutritional Sciences Department. The same month I started at California State University of Long Beach in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The program has further increased my passion for the career as we have learned vital knowledge and gained meaningful experiences. This past semester, I was able to help build adaptive bikes for children and help show their families how to properly adjust the seating for them. This experience was extremely rewarding as I got to see the children enjoy the bikes after all the hard work I had put into building them. This was also extremely beneficial as I learned how to work with adaptive equipment that is used so often in physical therapy. I also volunteered with some classmates at an adaptive paddle board clinic where we utilized adaptive paddle boards that can carry wheelchairs. This was another experience that helped broaden my knowledge of adaptive equipment and increased the importance of physical therapy to me. Through each of my experiences, physical therapy has continued to grow in importance as I have seen what it can do for others. The APTA’s vision statement states that physical therapy is “transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience.” This statement is something I truly believe in as physical therapy’s importance is best defined in its ability to improve the human experience and transform society. I hope to implement this vision throughout my physical therapy career and to contribute to the profession greatly. Utilizing research to help improve physical therapy treatments is extremely vital, however, it is clear that areas like spinal cord injury and geriatric rehabilitation are greatly under-studied. I would love to contribute to the profession as a researcher, but also as a caring clinician who considers all aspects of a patient including their physical health, participation in life roles, and personal factors that may contribute to their quality of life. I am confident in my hard work, creativity, and entrepreneurship to help lead and transform the profession.

When I was just weeks old my parents divorced causing my mother to rely heavily on my grandparents for support while raising me. My loving grandfather retired from his successful career to help care for me while my mom worked hard to build her career. I reflect on these years with extreme gratitude as I cherish the countless memories with him from this time. However, living with my grandparents also caused me to witness the occurrence and progression of his disease. I can vividly remember the first time I realized something was wrong. One night I was sitting in the living room looking out at the park across the street from my grandparent's house listening to my grandpa describe outlandish motorcycles and cars leaping off ramps and doing flips through the air. Unknowingly I listened and engaged adding in my own descriptions of imaginary vehicles. Although these descriptions were fictional to me, they were the reality for my grandpa. I vehemently tried to convince my mom and grandma he was only saying these things to entertain me, but their concern eventually convinced me that he was not using his imagination. After going to countless scans and doctor appointments with my grandparents, he was diagnosed with both a brain tumor and Lewy body dementia. My innocence was broken as his disease progressed and I realized it was not an illness that he could recover from. Initially, the disease took his ability to go for simple walks around the park. He started getting lost on his walks around the neighborhood leading to us having to find him, often with him being so disoriented and confused he would take great convincing to get in the car with us. My family quickly realized that even though his disease progressed my grandpa would trust me with everything. I was ven taken out of my elementary school to help administer his medication as he would not take it from any other member of the family. His trust in me held strong as even on his worst days he would still refer to me as "lovey", which is the endearing nickname he called me. His disease continuously progressed and seizures became frequent. From a young age, I learned how to deal with and remain calm in emergency situations. One day after elementary school I remember returning home to my grandparent's house and seeing my grandfather unresponsive in the backyard. I immediately called 911 and guided them in as my grandmother stayed with my grandfather. Luckily the doctors diagnosed him with just a bad case of heat stroke and he was able to return home after a hospital stay. Although there are many painful memories that came with his disease, there were also many bright moments that occurred. One occurred after the birth of my younger brother. During this time his memory was greatly diminished as he often could not recognize my grandmother whom he had been married to for about 50 years. However, in a moment of clarity, my mother showed him my brother and he exclaimed with joy "what a beautiful baby boy." I am so thankful to have these good memories that I will cherish forever and that I often share them with my younger siblings and cousins. Another favorite memory was one Father's Day my mom surprised him with an adult tricycle that provided him with the stability to ride a bike once again. I remember the feeling of joy everyone felt as we watched our beloved family member regain independence and the ability to be active after losing so much. These experiences have greatly impacted my own career path as I work towards becoming a physical therapist. The ability to handle stressful environments with a calm mind has led me to pursue a career in inpatient PT. The knowledge I gained from witnessing the progression of this illness on my adored grandfather will allow me to enter the field with a personalized sense of compassion and care. As the number of neurological disorders treated with physical therapy continues to rise, I hope to provide patients and family members with the same joy my family witnessed when seeing my grandfather exercise again.

Beginning my career in the healthcare industry at the start of the pandemic has had a large impact on my personal and professional life. I witnessed the overworked healthcare industry as it continues to feel the lasting impacts of the pandemic. Therefore, I have been volunteering in various healthcare locations to help support our healthcare workers. In my Junior year of college, I was able to gain experience in a variety of physical therapy settings as restrictions loosened. Initially, I began working in the outpatient clinic at the UCSD Hospital at Hillcrest until I gained enough hours to work with physical therapists in the inpatient setting at the same hospital. At the same time I transitioned from the outpatient clinic to the inpatient setting, the United States also saw the highest peak of recorded covid cases. Having my first experience in the inpatient setting during this time was daunting but it greatly increased my knowledge of the environment. The influx of covid patients subsequently filled the other units and altered the levels of illness being treated on each floor. Therefore, I was exposed to more injury and illness than normally seen. I was able to gain experience in a variety of units that include critical care, cardiothoracic critical care, medical-surgical, burn, and many others. Being able to learn how the inpatient setting works during extreme conditions and under great stress has allowed me to truly understand the role of healthcare professionals through hardships. After exceeding the maximum volunteer hours at the hospital, I started volunteering at an outpatient pediatric therapy clinic. At this clinic I helped the therapists treat patients and maintain the facilities. This was an amazing experience that led me to begin volunteering at a pediatric inpatient setting. Volunteering at a Children's Hospital has been incredibly inspiring. The patients, therapists, and other hospital staff have truly confirmed my passion for physical therapy. During my time volunteering at the hospital, I witnessed the large influx of RSV cases seen in main pediatrics. Therefore, I once again witnessed the hospital become overwhelmed and worked hard to assist the therapists and other staff in all the ways I could so they could provide optimal patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic has been largely felt within our healthcare system. These experiences impacted my educational and professional perspectives. I was able to directly witness this during my experiences working in the healthcare setting. However, I have been able to assist therapists in treating patients and maintaining the facilities so they are able to dedicate more time to patient care. This experience has greatly broadened my knowledge of the healthcare industry and the field of physical therapy. It has helped confirm my passion and refine my interest in inpatient pediatric physical therapy.

My initial interest in physical therapy was sparked by my own sports injuries that led me to undergo three knee surgeries and years of physical therapy. This experience as a patient led me to take courses in high school that increased my interest in the field. Throughout my journey at San Diego State University, the various courses and experiences have only grown my passion and excitement for the career. I have also been able to translate the knowledge gained in classes into my extracurricular experiences. The textbook information taught and studied in classes has allowed me to explore my interest further through working as a research assistant and volunteering in various physical therapy settings. Since Fall of 2020, I have worked in a research lab under a professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at San Diego State University. The first research project I was part of studied the effects of exercise intensity on cardiometabolic health in individuals with spinal cord injuries. Currently, I am working on another project that studied the effects of a step stool on the safety of bed transfers in older adults. It has been an amazing experience learning how research studies are conducted and how research is used in the rehabilitation field. I have gained experience working in both a pediatric and adult hospital setting as well as pediatric and adult outpatient clinics. These settings have allowed me to see the different specialties that include burn, cardiopulmonary, neuro, oncology, and many other areas. These experiences have shaped my future career goals to a more specific field of inpatient pediatric’s where I hope to continue my career in physical therapy and research. During the coming months and years that I am a student in the CSULB DPT program, I hope to excel academically and become involved in research as I did in my undergraduate career. This program is vital to my future career as it provides me with the knowledge and experience necessary to be a successful physical therapist. Therefore, I am determined to succeed academically while building my understanding and exposure to various aspects of the career. In the future, I hope to conduct research and work as a physical therapist in a children’s hospital. My experiences in research at my undergraduate university have grown my passion for improving the rehabilitative field through research. Being a volunteer in a variety of settings, including a children’s hospital has refined my specific interest in inpatient pediatric physical therapy.

My initial interest in physical therapy was sparked by my own sports injuries that led me to undergo three knee surgeries and years of physical therapy. This experience as a patient led me to take courses in high school that increased my interest in the field. Following these courses, I decided to major in kinesiology with a pre-physical therapy emphasis for my undergraduate degree. Throughout my journey at San Diego State University, the various courses and experiences have only grown my passion and excitement for the career. I have also been able to translate the knowledge gained in classes into my extracurricular experiences. The textbook information taught and studied in classes has allowed me to explore my interest further through working as a research assistant and volunteering in various physical therapy settings. Since Fall of 2020, I have worked in a research lab under a professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at San Diego State University. The first research project I was part of studied the effects of exercise intensity on cardiometabolic health in individuals with spinal cord injuries. Currently, I am working on another project that studied the effects of a step stool on the safety of bed transfers in older adults. It has been an amazing experience learning how research studies are conducted and how research is used in the rehabilitation field. I have gained experience working in both a pediatric and adult hospital setting as well as pediatric and adult outpatient clinics. These settings have allowed me to see the different specialties that include burn, cardiopulmonary, neuro, oncology, and many other areas. These experiences have shaped my future career goals to a more specific field of inpatient pediatric’s where I hope to continue my career in physical therapy and research. Starting in May I will be a student in the CSULB DPT program, where I hope to excel academically and become involved in research as I did in my undergraduate career. This program is vital to my future career as it provides me with the knowledge and experience necessary to be a successful physical therapist. Therefore, I am determined to succeed academically while building my understanding and exposure to various aspects of the career. In the future, I hope to conduct research and work as a physical therapist in a children’s hospital. My experiences in research at my undergraduate university have grown my passion for improving the rehabilitative field through research. Being a volunteer in a variety of settings, including a children’s hospital has refined my specific interest in inpatient pediatric physical therapy.

Beginning my career in the healthcare industry at the start of the pandemic has had a large impact on my personal and professional life. I witnessed the overworked healthcare industry as it continues to feel the lasting impacts of the pandemic. Therefore, I have been volunteering in various healthcare locations to help support our healthcare workers. In my Junior year of college, I was able to gain experience in a variety of physical therapy settings as restrictions loosened. Initially, I began working in the outpatient clinic at the UCSD Hospital at Hillcrest until I gained enough hours to work with physical therapists in the inpatient setting at the same hospital. At the same time I transitioned from the outpatient clinic to the inpatient setting, the United States also saw the highest peak of recorded covid cases. Having my first experience in the inpatient setting during this time was daunting but it greatly increased my knowledge of the environment. The influx of covid patients subsequently filled the other units and altered the levels of illness being treated on each floor. Therefore, I was exposed to more injury and illness than normally seen. I was able to gain experience in a variety of units that include critical care, cardiothoracic critical care, medical-surgical, burn, and many others. Being able to learn how the inpatient setting works during extreme conditions and under great stress has allowed me to truly understand the role of healthcare professionals through hardships. After exceeding the maximum volunteer hours at the hospital, I started volunteering at an outpatient pediatric therapy clinic. At this clinic I helped the therapists treat patients and maintain the facilities. This was an amazing experience that led me to begin volunteering at a pediatric inpatient setting. Volunteering at a Children's Hospital has been incredibly inspiring. The patients, therapists, and other hospital staff have truly confirmed my passion for physical therapy. During my time volunteering at the hospital, I witnessed the large influx of RSV cases seen in main pediatrics. Therefore, I once again witnessed the hospital become overwhelmed and worked hard to assist the therapists and other staff in all the ways I could so they could provide optimal patient care. The COVID-19 pandemic has been largely felt within our healthcare system. These experiences impacted my educational and professional perspectives. I was able to directly witness this during my experiences working in the healthcare setting. However, I have been able to assist therapists in treating patients and maintaining the facilities so they are able to dedicate more time to patient care. This experience has greatly broadened my knowledge of the healthcare industry and the field of physical therapy. It has helped confirm my passion and refine my interest in inpatient pediatric physical therapy.

Beginning my career in the healthcare industry at the start of the pandemic has had a large impact on my personal and professional life. Although the pandemic brought a large amount of uncertainty, at the same time I was also able to give back to my community. The second semester of my Freshman year at San Diego State University was moved online in a direct result of the pandemic. This transition to learning online was difficult but manageable as I learned to adapt to the new learning environment. Ultimately my motivation and passion for learning were able to overcome these obstacles and maintain a high GPA throughout the semester's classes were held online. During this time, I was also able to continue helping people virtually. In the Fall of my Sophomore year, I was able to begin working as a tutor for the San Diego State University Athletic Department where I virtually tutored SDSU athletes in a variety of courses. This greatly improved my ability to communicate and teach others through utilizing zoom and other technology. The same semester I started working as a research assistant under a professor in the DPT program at San Diego State University. Although this project was online, I was able to find my love for research and still currently work in the same lab today. The current in-person project has helped research the effects of a step stool on preventing falls in older individuals. Getting to meet the participants who came into the lab and help introduce them to the product was incredibly rewarding. In my Junior year of college, I was able to volunteer in a variety of physical therapy settings as restrictions loosened. Initially, I began volunteering at the UCSD Hospital at Hillcrest during the time the United States saw the highest peak of recorded covid cases. The influx of covid patients subsequently filled the other units and altered the levels of illness being treated on each floor. Therefore, I was exposed to more injury and illness than normally seen. I was able to help the therapists and health care workers during this challenging time in a variety of units that include critical care, cardiothoracic critical care, medical-surgical, burn, and many others. After exceeding the maximum volunteer hours, I decided to volunteer at an outpatient pediatric clinic. This was a great way to help the children in the community by assisting therapists and maintaining the facilities. This led me to begin volunteering at Rady's Children's Hospital where I still continue to volunteer. During my time at Rady's, I witnessed the increase in RSV cases that overwhelmed the hospital and staff. Once again, this impact was felt throughout the entire hospital and I was able to help therapists treat patients as well as lighten their workload by maintaining the facilities. Giving back to the pediatric hospital is something that I value greatly as my little brother 2020 suffered a traumatic brain injury. However, with our local children's hospital's phenomenal help, he was able to make a quick and full recovery. Therefore, I hope to continue volunteering at the Children's Hospital and eventually become a Physical Therapist to help kids fully recover from whatever challenges they may be fighting. The switch to remote learning was difficult but I was able to find ways to adapt and continue to give back to the community. Once the restrictions were lifted, the healthcare system continued to feel the effects of the pandemic and I was able to directly help healthcare staff with patient care.

Sports have always been a major part of my life. I started playing soccer when I was 6 years old and continued playing for 10 years. I found my passion in soccer and grew an identity around being a soccer player. When I was thirteen I suffered my first ACL tear, leading to two knee surgeries and over a year of physical therapy to return. The recovery process was lengthened greatly due to my young age, but I persisted and eventually made it back onto the field. Playing soccer in highschool was an amazing experience. In my short time, I was able to become team captain and help lead many practices. However, I suffered another ACL tear leading to my thrid knee surgery and ultimately the end of my soccer career. I was devastated and felt as if part of my identity had been taken from me. After almost two years' worth of physical therapy, I began to realize the rehabilitation process was extremely interesting and the environment was a great place to work in. This experience as a patient led me to take courses in high school that increased my interest in the field. The courses showed me that although I lost my passion for soccer, I was able to transfer that passion to learning. I enrolled at San Diego State University in the Kinesiology Pre-Physical therapy program. Throughout my journey at San Diego State University, the various courses and experiences have only grown my passion and excitement for the career. I have also been able to translate the knowledge gained in classes into my extracurricular experiences. The textbook information taught and studied in classes has allowed me to explore my interest further through working as a research assistant and volunteering in various physical therapy settings. Since Fall of 2020, I have worked in a research lab under a professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at San Diego State University. It has been an amazing experience learning how research studies are conducted and how research is used in the rehabilitation field. I have gained experience working in both a pediatric and adult hospital setting as well as pediatric and adult outpatient clinics. These settings have allowed me to see the different specialties that include burn, cardiopulmonary, neuro, oncology, and many other areas. These experiences have shaped my future career goals to a more specific field of inpatient pediatric’s where I hope to continue my career in physical therapy and research.

My initial interest in physical therapy was sparked by my own sports injuries that led me to undergo three knee surgeries and years of physical therapy. This experience as a patient led me to take courses in high school that increased my interest in the field. Throughout my journey at San Diego State University, the various courses and experiences have only grown my passion and excitement for the career. I have also been able to translate the knowledge gained in classes into my extracurricular experiences. The textbook information taught and studied in classes has allowed me to explore my interest further through working as a research assistant and volunteering in various physical therapy settings. Since Fall of 2020, I have worked in a research lab under a professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at San Diego State University. The first research project I was part of studied the effects of exercise intensity on cardiometabolic health in individuals with spinal cord injuries. Currently, I am working on another project that studied the effects of a step stool on the safety of bed transfers in older adults. It has been an amazing experience learning how research studies are conducted and how research is used in the rehabilitation field. I have gained experience working in both a pediatric and adult hospital setting as well as pediatric and adult outpatient clinics. These settings have allowed me to see the different specialties that include burn, cardiopulmonary, neuro, oncology, and many other areas. These experiences have shaped my future career goals to a more specific field of inpatient pediatric’s where I hope to continue my career in physical therapy and research. During the coming months and years that I am a student in the CSULB DPT program, I hope to excel academically and become involved in research as I did in my undergraduate career. This program is vital to my future career as it provides me with the knowledge and experience necessary to be a successful physical therapist. Therefore, I am determined to succeed academically while building my understanding and exposure to various aspects of the career. In the future, I hope to conduct research and work as a physical therapist in a children’s hospital. My experiences in research at my undergraduate university have grown my passion for improving the rehabilitative field through research. Being a volunteer in a variety of settings, including a children’s hospital has refined my specific interest in inpatient pediatric physical therapy.

In February 2023, I earned the local American Kinesiology Association Student Scholar award and am currently being considered for the national award. I was nominated by a professor and submitted a vita describing my academic and professional accomplishments along with my personal goals for the future. This included my extensive volunteer work, ample research experience, and high undergraduate grade point average (3.97). Thus far I have been involved in the completion of two research studies, with one being in review for publication and the other in the final stages of writing. The first project was a systematic review of the effects of exercise intensity on cardiometabolic health in individuals with spinal cord injuries. In spring 2022 I presented this research at the SDSU Student Research Symposium where I was awarded a Library Award. The second project analyzed the effects of a stepstool on increasing the safety of bed transfers in older adults. This was an incredible experience as I learned how to manage, maintain, and utilize a variety of equipment as well as software programs. After collecting the data with participants, we analyzed and interpreted our results into a paper. My love for volunteering was sparked at a young age when I would volunteer at homeless shelters and summer camps. Recently, I have accumulated over 200 hours volunteering in a variety of physical therapy settings. This has been an amazing experience where I was able to help our health care professionals and gain my own knowledge of the field. During the coming months and years that I am a student in the CSULB DPT program, I hope to excel academically and become involved in research as I did in my undergraduate career. This program is vital to my future career as it provides me with the knowledge and experience necessary to be a successful physical therapist. Therefore, I am determined to succeed academically while building my understanding and exposure to various aspects of the career. In the future, I hope to conduct research and work as a physical therapist in a children’s hospital. My experiences in research at my undergraduate university have grown my passion for improving the rehabilitative field through research. Being a volunteer in a variety of settings, including a children’s hospital has refined my specific interest in inpatient pediatric physical therapy. Heavy metal music is a great way to express yourself and feel emotions through music. The hard rock highlights many feelings and brings them to the surface. Often, it is also helpful in exercises and I have seen many patients use it as motivation during a workout. They use heavy metal music as an emotional motivator to complete a challenging physical task. This has been amazing to see and exemplifies the benefits of heavy metal music.

Beginning my career in the healthcare industry at the start of the pandemic has had a large impact on my personal and professional life. Although the pandemic brought a large amount of uncertainty, at the same time I was also able to give back to my community. The second semester of my Freshman year at San Diego State University was moved online in a direct result of the pandemic. This transition to learning online was difficult but manageable as I learned to adapt to the new learning environment. Ultimately my motivation and passion for learning were able to overcome these obstacles and maintain a high GPA throughout the semester's classes were held online. During this time, I was also able to continue helping people virtually. In the Fall of my Sophomore year, I was able to begin working as a tutor for the San Diego State University Athletic Department where I virtually tutored SDSU athletes in a variety of courses. This greatly improved my ability to communicate and teach others through utilizing zoom and other technology. The same semester I started working as a research assistant under a professor in the DPT program at San Diego State University. Although this project was online, I was able to find my love for research and still currently work in the same lab today. The current in-person project has helped research the effects of a step stool on preventing falls in older individuals. Getting to meet the participants who came into the lab and help introduce them to the product was incredibly rewarding. In my Junior year of college, I was able to volunteer in a variety of physical therapy settings as restrictions loosened. Initially, I began volunteering at the UCSD Hospital at Hillcrest during the time the United States saw the highest peak of recorded covid cases. The influx of covid patients subsequently filled the other units and altered the levels of illness being treated on each floor. Therefore, I was exposed to more injury and illness than normally seen. I was able to help the therapists and health care workers during this challenging time in a variety of units that include critical care, cardiothoracic critical care, medical-surgical, burn, and many others. After exceeding the maximum volunteer hours, I decided to volunteer at an outpatient pediatric clinic. This was a great way to help the children in the community by assisting therapists and maintaining the facilities. This led me to begin volunteering at Rady's Children's Hospital where I still continue to volunteer. During my time at Rady's, I witnessed the increase in RSV cases that overwhelmed the hospital and staff. Once again, this impact was felt throughout the entire hospital and I was able to help therapists treat patients as well as lighten their workload by maintaining the facilities. Giving back to the pediatric hospital is something that I value greatly as my little brother 2020 suffered a traumatic brain injury. However, with our local children's hospital's phenomenal help, he was able to make a quick and full recovery. Therefore, I hope to continue volunteering at the Children's Hospital and eventually become a Physical Therapist to help kids fully recover from whatever challenges they may be fighting. The switch to remote learning was difficult but I was able to find ways to adapt and continue to give back to the community. Once the restrictions were lifted, the healthcare system continued to feel the effects of the pandemic and I was able to directly help healthcare staff with patient care.