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Hobbies and interests
Reading
Movies And Film
Community Service And Volunteering
Physical Therapy
Cooking
Samuel Smith
405
Bold Points1x
Finalist![user profile avatar](https://static.bold.org/profilePictures/mepicture60e1b8301d5b4f41859b1379feb537ba.webp)
Samuel Smith
405
Bold Points1x
FinalistBio
The people who have inspired and motivated me the most over the years have been my coaches and certain physical therapists. My goal is to become a physical therapist who too inspires kids/adults through coaching and patient care!
Education
University of Lynchburg
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)Majors:
- Physical Sciences, Other
Christopher Newport University
Bachelor's degree programMajors:
- Biological and Physical Sciences
Minors:
- Psychology, General
Miscellaneous
Desired degree level:
Doctoral degree program (PhD, MD, JD, etc.)
Graduate schools of interest:
Transfer schools of interest:
Majors of interest:
Career
Dream career field:
physical therapy
Dream career goals:
Sports
Cross-Country Running
Varsity2010 – 20199 years
Public services
Volunteering
Military Heros Campagin — Volunteer2019 – 2022
Future Interests
Advocacy
Volunteering
Philanthropy
James B. McKillip Scholarship for Physical Therapy
After traumatic events people exclaim to others that they don’t know what it feels like, that they couldn’t imagine. This statement has some truth to it, everyone goes through their own battles big and small. However, these battles should never be compared alternatively the take always should. Every injury I have faced in my life has been a different obstacle that I had to overcome. Sometimes it was easy other times giving up seemed to be the best option. However, each and every injury taught me a new valuable lesson. From staying positive to leadership to even overcoming depression. The most important lesson was to get back up no matter what was thrown at you and to keep pushing forward. The trauma that I faced with my moms’ accidents initial lead me to healthcare however, it was ultimately my injuries that led to me physical therapy.
The injuries that I have had in my life have forged me into the man I am today. I am dedicated, passionate, hardworking, and a people person. My greatest strength and asset going into physical therapy school is my experience and my ability to relate to each person who needs physical therapy. I’ve been helping people my entire young life. I was given that opportunity while becoming an Eagle Scout with the Boy Scouts, through my leadership and captain positions with sports teams and with community service projects and other volunteer efforts. My drive has extended to my personal life organizing philanthropy and community service efforts in my fraternity. Through my experiences, it has confirmed my decision to continue helping people with a career in physical therapy.
If someone is interested in physical therapy one piece of advice I could give is to find a setting that interests you. As discussed above physical therapy is a unique career because of the different settings in which you can work. Most of my experience is between outpatient orthopedic and acute care and just between those two they drastically differ in how treatment is approached. Acute mainly focusing on sitting, standing, and basic components of mobility while outpatient works to improve those skills, help develop more advanced skills, and increase strength in the injured and surrounding areas. So, finding a setting that interests you is very important.
I still remember the PT that changed my life and ultimately pushed me to go after my dream. So, the biggest contribution I would like to make would becoming someone else's role model as they to go after their dream as an aspiring physical therapy.