It is no secret that the world we live in today is heavily male-dominated. This has greatly impacted me as I have grown to become the person I am today. During my childhood, my mother was very outgoing and made it no secret that she was the “man” of the house. My dad fully supported this because he respected my mother and wanted her to become the confident, independent woman she strongly desired. This was exactly how I was raised, and I could not be any more grateful than I am now. At this same point, my mom noticed that I was a very active little girl and decided to place me in multiple sports. I soon became obsessed with all kinds of sports, the atmosphere, and just getting to compete made me the happiest person ever. I have learned so much growing up in sports. Along with this came the confident-striking factor that many of the sports I participated in were also male-dominated. However, I constantly returned to my roots and remembered everything my parents raised me to be. I have been, and currently am, an athlete all my life because the athletic environment drives me to be a better person. Going into college, I planned on majoring in biology; however, as I went further into my student-athlete career and created a bond with my new sport and team, I had a change of heart. I have decided to change my major to Kinesiology to become a sports physical therapist. My passion for sports has driven me to this path, and I will create a name for myself. As a physical therapist, my job is to help athletes identify their injuries and provide them with information and extensive training to recover. In addition to my future position, I will show younger women that they are more than capable. With my resources and my opportunity to attend Texas Woman’s University, I feel I have an advantage with my upbringing in this degree. I get to learn and grow with future physical therapists who are women and who, for the most part, have the same dream/goal in life. According to The Career Expert, there are 15% more women within the sports physical therapist career; however, men create almost $6,000 more than women, putting them at a slight disadvantage. Although income inequality is slowly making its way toward equality, this fact is disheartening. It also encourages me to become more involved in my studies to learn more about my degree and how I can make a change. Women, including myself, have worked extremely hard to make a living for themselves, and it is unreasonable to dismiss their efforts. Becoming a sports physical therapist would allow me to participate in the change. Although my experiences with male sports physical therapists in my athletic career have been all but good, I feel like having a woman in this career, especially of color, assisting me would have helped me engage and connect on a more personal level. Creating that personal connection aids in better communication on certain issues and opens doors for better growth and opportunity. I want to help create this environment with my future career to help others become comfortable and feel like they have someone by their side, which they do. I want to show people, especially young women, that I am a supporter and can develop a sense of want and need within athletes when they are in distress. References: Sports Physical Therapist Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Sports Physical Therapists In The US (zippia.com)

It is no secret that the world we live in today is heavily male-dominated. This has greatly impacted me as I have grown to become the person I am today. During my childhood, my mother was very outgoing and made it no secret that she was the “man” of the house. My dad fully supported this because he respected my mother and wanted her to become the confident, independent woman she strongly desired. This was exactly how I was raised, and I could not be any more grateful than I am now. At this same point, my mom noticed that I was a very active little girl and decided to place me in multiple sports. I soon became obsessed with all kinds of sports, the atmosphere, and just getting to compete made me the happiest person ever. I have learned so much growing up in sports. Along with this came the confident-striking factor that many of the sports I participated in were also male-dominated. However, I constantly returned to my roots and remembered everything my parents raised me to be. I have been, and currently am, an athlete all my life because the athletic environment drives me to be a better person. Going into college, I planned on majoring in biology; however, as I went further into my student-athlete career and created a bond with my new sport and team, I had a change of heart. I have decided to change my major to Kinesiology to become a sports physical therapist. My passion for sports has driven me to this path, and I will create a name for myself. As a physical therapist, my job is to help athletes identify their injuries and provide them with information and extensive training to recover. In addition to my future position, I will show younger women that they are more than capable. With my resources and my opportunity to attend Texas Woman’s University, I feel I have an advantage with my upbringing in this degree. I get to learn and grow with future physical therapists who are women and who, for the most part, have the same dream/goal in life. According to The Career Expert, there are 15% more women within the sports physical therapist career; however, men create almost $6,000 more than women, putting them at a slight disadvantage. Although income inequality is slowly making its way toward equality, this fact is disheartening. It also encourages me to become more involved in my studies to learn more about my degree and how I can make a change. Women, including myself, have worked extremely hard to make a living for themselves, and it is unreasonable to dismiss their efforts. Becoming a sports physical therapist would allow me to participate in the change. Although my experiences with male sports physical therapists in my athletic career have been all but good, I feel like having a woman in this career, especially of color, assisting me would have helped me engage and connect on a more personal level. Creating that personal connection aids in better communication on certain issues and opens doors for better growth and opportunity. I want to help create this environment with my future career to help others become comfortable and feel like they have someone by their side, which they do. I want to show people, especially young women, that I am a supporter and can develop a sense of want and need within athletes when they are in distress. References: Sports Physical Therapist Demographics and Statistics [2022]: Number Of Sports Physical Therapists In The US (zippia.com)