Physical therapy is something I have thought about doing since the age of 5. My father was a physical therapy assistant. He has worked with many different physical therapists with different specialties. He always tells me about the patients with the most impact are the patients that do not have the luxury or ability to do simple takes such as drive themselves to work, or even go to the bathroom by themselves. I honestly did not understand the importance of physical therapy until I had to go and experience it myself. My love for the field sky-rocketed at the age of 11 when I tore my labrum playing softball. Softball was a huge part of my life, and I became a very different person after this experience. I went to an out-patient facility where I saw many older and injured people learning to do things that seemed too simple to me like walking. This was the moment that I knew I wanted to help rehabilitate people. Later, at the age of 13, I tore all the tendons and ligaments in the same shoulder resulting in an open shoulder surgery. I feel into a dark place but found the light through my curiosity for the field (as I was there 4 times a week). I later found out I have Ehlers Dan Los type 3 disease. This disease has impacted me in ways that a kid shouldn’t have to go through. Being unable to play sports or do physically demanding tasks due to the fear of injury was a huge obstacle in my life. My senior year of high school (2020-2021), I was a part of the West-Mec Vocational school. I was a part of the physical therapy technician program. I had the class 5 days a week for 3 hours after my normal school day. Within this program, I learned about the structure and function of the body, insurance, billing, cleaning, and patient care. I also had multiple opportunities to work with real patients which was a very unique experience for someone my age. This course just further solidified my passion for the field and taught me I could be very good at it., My overall goal is to help other people accomplish tasks that can make their quality of life better, whether that is helping someone learn to through a softball again, or helping a patient walk again. I know that a lot of people don’t believe that a sophomore in college really knows what they want to do, but when you have personally experienced it and taking the time to explore the field, the answer becomes clear. The hope is to become a neurological physical therapist or a pediatrics physical therapist. Then, one day in the far future the dream is to open my own practice. In five years, I will be in physical therapy school at Northern Arizona University. I would be in my first year just trying to absorb anything and everything. I will also be working in a physical therapy office in a PT tech position in hopes to get as much experience as possible. While the pay for a job like this isn’t the best, I believe it is best to work all positions in an office. This is where my bachelor’s degree in exercise science and my experience at the West-Mec school in Arizona will come in handy. Overall, I want to thank you for taking the time to hear my story and considering me. I truly have a passion to help people no matter their situation and that is all walks of life.