As somebody who has a master of science in sport performance, I see an intertwining of physical therapy and strength and conditioning within the next five to ten years. While there is some current research on this overlap, I believe professionals will only find out more about how both categories come hand-in-hand. In order for strength and conditioning to be optimal, there has to be correct foundational mechanics, strength, and movement. These can be learned through physical therapy. with physical therapy comes corrective movement, strengthening of stabilizer muscles needed to perform soldiers' everyday movements, and a limber human body ready for anything, as the military world can be unpredictable. Without these foundational movements and strength, injuries such as overuse, muscle, tendon, and ligament tears, and weaknesses within certain movements may occur which can hinder soldiers' performance during their work and physical training. I plan to contribute to this evolution of strength and conditioning and physical therapy intertwining by incorporating ideas and techniques I learned from my sport performance degree into my future practice of physical therapy. Once I complete physical therapy school, I plan on enlisting in the Army to be a physical therapist there. Some strength and conditioning ideas I plan on implementing into my practice of physical therapy are blood flow restriction training, plyometrics, and repetition with movements that are translatable into their everyday work and physical training. Soldiers must pass physical training tests which requires strength, conditioning, and an overall healthy human body. Injuries occur, and it's important that there is a physical therapist present to aide soldiers in rehabilitation so they can ace their physical training, get back to work without pain, and overall improve their quality of life. Implementing strength and conditioning ideas into my practice would help soldiers return to their everyday lives, trusting that their rehabilitation has been aimed to helping them confidently and efficiently returning to work, pain-free. And vice versa, these foundational movements that soldiers would learn in physical therapy may prep them for what is to come during the strength and conditioning that comes with their mandatory physical training. In summary, I believe the next five to ten years will show more and more of an overlap between strength and conditioning and physical therapy. There are multiple techniques and ideas within strength and conditioning that can help rehabilitate and strengthen the movements and muscles of those who attend physical therapy. I plan on implementing strength and conditioning in my practice as a future physical therapist enlisting in the Army to ensure soldiers get the best treatment possible that helps them return to their work and physical training, pain-free with strength and confidence.

From birth to the year of 2018, I struggled with alopecia areata. Alopecia caused my hair to fall out in patchy bald spots, forcing me to constantly see a dermatologist. I could only wear my hair one way throughout middle school and part of high school to keep my bald spots from showing. This made me different, and at the time, not in a good way. I couldn't wear my hair in cute, fashionable ways like every other girl around me could. Then, my eyelashes and eyebrows started falling out. The more hair I lost, the more people bullied me. With this came anxiety, panic attacks on the way to school, and depression at the age of 14. I feared going to school every single day and being out in public. At one point, I had probably lost around a third of my hair. I did not have the drive to continue doing anything. Dermatologist appointments consisted of painful scalp injections, uncomfortably itchy topical solutions, laser treatments, and feelings of hopelessness. As soon as something started to work, hair loss occurred in a different place. It was a constant battle of ups and downs, physically and mentally. Going through this and losing my hair was mortifying and debilitating. The summer before my freshman year of high school, I felt as though I had enough of this disorder. I was so tired of letting it dictate me and my life. I made a YouTube video explaining my disorder, what it does, how it affects me, and how I no longer want it controlling my life. While it was hard to create and upload, I shared it on social media with my friends and family. Instantly, a weight was lifted off my shoulders. I felt freed from alopecia. I no longer was living in fear. Shortly after this happened, my dermatologist at Penn State Hershey Medical Center worked hard to get me approved for a clinical trial of Xeljanz. While it is an arthritis medication, it was projected to help with hair loss as well. After around three to six months of taking it, my hair stopped falling out and started growing back in full. I could finally start wearing my hair however I wanted with confidence. Things finally started looking up. After being on Xeljanz for a few years with a complete restoration of my hair, my dermatologist took me off of the medication. While this was scary and I feared my hair loss would recur, I agreed to do this. Four years later, I was deemed in complete remission from alopecia areata. This was one of the greatest things I had ever heard. The thing that made me feel debilitated, forcing me to live in fear, was finally gone. While this was a long battle with my autoimmune disorder, I am proud of myself for never giving up. Despite the adversity that came with losing my hair, I persisted. I would never let alopecia areata define me. While it negatively controlled my life for some time, I am grateful for this struggle. It taught me how to have resilience and never give up. It helped create who I am today; now anything else I go through is a breeze. The struggle will always come to an end at some point, so keep hope and keep fighting. These characteristics have helped aid me through life thus far, and they will continue to do so.

The never-ending possibility of learning excites me most about college. Learning never stops, which is why I'm so hungry for it. I yearn to learn anything I can to not only maximize my abilities in my future career, but also apply it in my everyday life. I look forward to learning new things every single day! With college and its courses comes added stress to students' everyday lives. While learning is exciting and fun, assignments, studying, projects, and exams can seem overwhelming. It is important to know how to relieve your mind, body, and soul during times of stress. During my undergraduate studies, there were a variety of practices I implemented to ensure my stress remained low so I could continue to effectively learn. One practice that helped me maintain stress while attempt to learn is envisioning my goals. Knowing that studying, taking exams, completing assignments, and attending class is foundational to helping me achieve my goals. Whenever I felt myself starting to feel overwhelmed, I would take a second to breathe and reassure myself that I can achieve this and it's all for my future. Exercise was another mechanism I utilized to maintain a healthy body, mind, and soul. Lifting weights or going for a walk is something I look forward to every day to give my mind a break. Finding a way to move your body any exercise is not only beneficial for your physical health, but your mental health as well. Aside from exercising, I tried to find more hobbies that I enjoyed and would allow me to take a break from my studies. This helped as well. Overall, one thing that really made a difference during the last semester of my undergraduate studies was listening to my body. If my body needed rest, I rested. If it needed time alone, I took time alone. If I needed a break from studying, I took a break. This allowed me to recharge myself and have enough energy to be productive for the rest of day, despite the stress and tiredness I may have felt earlier in the day. To conclude, learning is one of the most exciting things that school has to offer. However, the exams, studying, and assignments that come with learning can make students feel overwhelmed. In order to avoid these feelings from happening, I relied on a variety of things that helped promote the health of my mind, body, and soul, despite all of school's stressors. Envisioning my goals, exercising, participating in enjoyable hobbies, and listening to bodies were what I implemented in my everyday life. When I really started practicing these healthy habits, my mind, body, and soul felt maintained. Because of this, I could continue to learn without feeling overwhelmed, stressed, or burnt out. I can now maximize my learning and promote my overall health while doing so! Making time to maintain your mind, body, and soul is the key for a stress-free, maximized life.

Practicing healthy eating habits promotes optimal health and wellness. Many factors within your health are affected by what one puts in their body. Even when it comes to other healthy actions like exercise, results are optimal if you pair it with healthy eating. One simply cannot out-work a bad diet. Whether one's goal is to lose weight, build muscle, or both, healthy eating habits are essential. Having healthy eating habits also prevents one from developing diseases/disorders such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity, certain types of cancer, and cardiovascular disease. I recognized this when I was younger. A decent amount of my family suffers from conditions that healthy eating could have reduced the risk of developing. Type 2 diabetes is also very prominent within my family, so I figured the earlier I start healthy eating habits, the longer I can put off developing Type 2 diabetes or prevent it from developing completely. I believe the foods one consumes also has the power to affect their cognitive functioning. Components of a healthy diet can actually enhance cognitive functioning. Dietary patterns and specific nutrients themselves have a great effect on factors such as general memory, episodic memory, and processing speed (Klimova, Dziuba & Cierniak-Emerych, 2020). The more I practice healthy eating, the better I feel overall. I have prime physical health, can easily build muscle mass, promote strong bones, and maintain a healthful body composition. It is important I follow a healthy diet for more than just a strong body composition; I suffer from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). This means I have higher insulin resistance and my body holds onto body fat more than the average person. I am also already more at risk for developing conditions like Type 2 diabetes (aside from my family's prevalence of developing it). With this in mind, I eat as healthy as I can to ensure I live a fruitful life with the least risk possible of developing any additional conditions. Practicing health eating also helps my mental health. I feel better about myself, and I have noticed I have less feelings of sadness and less anxiety. This may be explained through diet and obesity affecting mood, or mental disorders that are stress-related which can lead to changes in diet habits, affecting weight. Specific diet aspects can even lead to mood changes (Bremner et al., 2020). Eating health also makes me feel good knowing that I am taking care of my body and its health overall. To conclude, a multitude of positive effects accompanies healthy eating habits. A healthy diet plus a regular exercise routine is optimal for losing weight, gaining muscle, or both. Healthy eating habits also prevent the development of several conditions including Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain types of cancers. Cognitive functioning is also positively affected by healthy eating habits. Eating health helps me feel my best overall. Not do I only look my best, but I mentally feel great and know I'm feeding my body the food it needs to live a fruitful, healthy life. Bremner, J.D., Moazzami, K., Wittbrodt, M.T., Nye, J.A., Lima, B.B., Gillespie, C.F., Rapaport, M.H., Pearce, B.D., Shah, A.J., & Vaccarino, V. (2020, Aug 13). Diet, stress, and mental health. Nutrients, 12(8). https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082428. Klimova, B., Dziuba, S., & Cierniak-Emerych, A. (2020, Aug 11). The effect of healthy diet on cognitive performance among health seniors: A mini review. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 14(325). DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2020.00325.

Clean living was something that I always knew was essential to living a healthy, fruitful life. However, this does not mean I always followed this concept. While I often made efforts to live clean, I regularly fell back into old habits of not eating healthy foods and lacking in my exercise efforts. I did not truly realize the importance of clean living until after I finished my bachelor's degree of science in kinesiology and obtained my first job in healthcare. Spring 2022, I gained 15 pounds from stress eating, not moving my body enough, and suffering from polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). I was facing great amounts of adversity at the time; I was taking seven college courses at once in order to graduate, was a collegiate athlete, maintaining a job, and dealing with loss of loved ones. I was two weeks behind in some of my classes from attending a funeral and then getting sick with COVID-19 for a second time. I resorted to behaviors that were the complete opposite of clean eating. Although I know body mass index (BMI) is not the end-all-be-all of measuring health and fitness, I was considered obese by my primary care provider for the first time ever. I felt ashamed for letting myself go. At this time, I had also started a medical scribing job for multiple emergency rooms within UPMC. This was and will continue to be a life-altering experience. I accompany the doctor during patient encounters and help keep them organized while they attend to various people from a multitude of walks of life... and unfortunately, also various comorbidities that could have been controlled. It should have been enough seeing my parents and other family members suffering from comorbidities to change my habits. After seeing countless people with numerous health issues and comorbidities, a lightbulb went off in my head. I wanted to continue to help these people for a career. In order to achieve this, however, I realized I needed to help myself. I wanted desperately to partake in habits that would increase my chances of living well, living longer, increasing my happiness, maintain my ability to help others for a lifetime, and increase my chances being able to be there for my future family. Come the end of July 2022, I focused on clean living. Not only did I eat clean, but I took my time at the gym more seriously. I also took time out to listen to my body and give it what it needed. In turn, I lost ten pounds and have been continuing to improve my health. My strength is the best it has ever been. I consider what I am eating daily. I search for cleaner alternatives that come from Earth itself and resort to natural supplements that aide my body's health. I make time to move my body each day, regardless of how "busy" I am--time is a construct! I educate myself on whatever I can to ensure I am promoting a clean, fruitful life for myself and the people around me. Because of clean living, I am convinced I will not only be here for a GOOD TIME, but also for a LONG TIME!

Mental health is something I have struggled with practically my entire life. My dad tells me he noticed anxious tendencies since around the age of two. Depression started accompanying my anxiety around the age of 12. At this time, I was running back and forth from a dermatologist's office and experiencing pattern baldness from alopecia areata. I was also suffering from bullying since I had to wear my hair the same way every day to school and almost lost all my eyebrows and eyelashes. This is when I first started experiencing anxiety attacks. I almost let it take ahold of my life around two years ago when I felt like I was losing myself. I was constantly exhausted, I felt burned out, was no longer motivated, my hobbies were no longer enjoyable, and I often experienced breakdowns of panic whenever I faced adversity. Of course, this is no way to live, and I knew I needed to do something about this. Without shame, I finally applied for therapy and asked my primary care physician about anxiety medication. Thankfully, I was able to start therapy and taking medication within a couple weeks of applying. Not only did I start looking to therapy for help, but I started focusing more on my physical health through diet and exercise. Exercise is a great stress relief and a beneficial way to improve both my physical and mental health. I genuinely do not know where I would be without therapy or finding enjoyable ways to move my body. Both have provided me with multiple ways that I can cope with my emotions. Unfortunately, I feel as though I lost a lot of connections and friendships due to my struggle with mental health. I did not know how to cope with my feelings and often unknowingly took it out on others, or people did not understand what I was going through and simply gave up on me. After attending therapy, I now know how to take control of my emotions and look for effective ways of coping with anxiety and depression. When adversity is thrown my way, I learned to how to take a deep breath and think before I act. I also commonly job hopped when I was younger due to feeling uncapable. Within the past year, I have had significantly less anxiety about jobs and went after a position I never thought I would be capable of doing. Without therapy, I truly do not believe I would have the medical scribing position I do today. Medical scribing, although challenging and stressful, has been a life-changing experience and a great way to kick off being a healthcare worker. There then came a time where I had to help somebody close to me cope with feelings of anxiety and depression. This past year, my boyfriend's mother had lost her battle to a very aggressive, terminal colon cancer. Not only was he and his family overcome with sadness and grief, but school and holding his responsibilities became very hard for him. Throughout this time, I have been super patient with him and remained by his side because that what important people in my life did with me through adversity and loss. While grieving is a never-ending process, helping him with coping strategies and simply being there for him has seemed to aide him a great amount. I was able to remain strong for him and his family, imply effective coping strategies for myself, and therefore provide him with support. Without therapy, I am not sure how I would have dealt with this situation. I definitely would not have been able to help myself, and in result, I would not have been able to help him. Based on my personal experiences with mental health, I have learned that healing is never linear. While my mental health is currently the best it has ever been, I still have days where I could lay in bed and do absolutely nothing. And that is okay. I have learned to listen to my body and give it what it needs so I can pursue my passion of helping others. Reaching out for help through therapy or medication is nothing to be ashamed about, regardless of who you are and what your journey looks like. Despite everlasting adversity, I remain resilient because of my experiences and those who have helped me. I affirm, no mental disorder will ever grasp ahold of my life ever again.

A change I wish to see in my community, the country, and the world are acts of caring for one another. While the world is beautiful, it can also be a dark and unwelcoming place. While it is not hard to practice acts of kindness, it is easy to be selfish and careless. School shooting here, drunk driving there. Hate crimes here, gun violence there. We see this on the news every day. Despite this world that comes with continual tragedies, I can make a difference. Locally, I hope to spread acts of care and kindness. I currently work as a medical scribe at a hospital to help doctors and patients in need. I also donate blood when I am able to and have performed community service with sports teams in the past. What I can do and plan to do in the future is volunteer through my school. There are endless opportunities at Lebanon Valley College that would allow me to volunteer in the community. Helping others makes me feel good, and I enjoy making a difference in a world full of darkness. I plan to invite others to join me to not only make a greater impact, but also so others can realize that helping other makes them feel good, too. The more people that do this, the more care, kindness, and love we have in the world. You know what they say... the more love we have in the world, the more the world goes 'round. Thank you.

I have been involved in sports ever since I can remember. That little girl who was always watching baseball on TV with her father had no idea how profound of an impact that sports would have on my life. Softball, more specifically, has molded me into the person I am today. I could not imagine where I would be without it. Participation in softball has gifted me beneficial characteristics that will forever aid me in life. My talent and hard work brought me onto travel teams, the varsity team of my high school, and now the collegiate level of softball. I recently earned the opportunity to play for a powerhouse of a team as a fifth-year graduate student. I could not be more thankful for this one last opportunity to play at the level that twelve-year-old me dreamt of. As my college softball season approaches, I often reflect on everything I endured to get where I am today. I spent countless hours and literal blood, sweat and tears to make myself capable of playing at the collegiate level. When I felt like giving up, I always stayed resilient and moved onward. Nothing got in the way of my goals. Softball taught me sportsmanship, leadership, teamwork, work ethic, resiliency, balance, and power. I have met a multitude of amazing women and coaches through softball who support me on my journey to achieve the best version of me possible. These personas I learned from softball melt over into other areas of my life, including school, work, and my health. My work ethic in softball helped my work ethic in school. As Coach Donald Friday from Penn State Harrisburg Men's Basketball would always say, "Diplomas first, then championships." Despite many hardships I faced during the last three years of my undergraduate studies, I graduated with a B.S. in Kinesiology and a 3.65 GPA. I learned, too, I have a knack for working with a team and helping others through softball. I currently am attending Lebanon Valley College for an M.S. in Sport Performance while having a full-time job and playing collegiate softball. While softball itself keeps me on my toes, it holds me accountable for having balance and time-management in my life. Also, what I have seen me, my teammates, my opponents, and other athletes achieve thus far proves that women who play sports are women who lead. Through training for softball, I fell in love with exercise and taking care of my health. Because of this, I plan on attending physical therapy school. I yearn to take advantage of being strong, healthy, knowledgeable, and able-bodied to help those who suffer from disease and disorders. Sure, I have suffered from aches, pains, and minor injuries. I do not know, however, what it is like to live a life suffering from a disorder or disease. Through being a physical therapist, I could help these people live stronger, pain-free, fuller lives. I want these people to be able to enjoy life more through optimizing their health, physically and mentally. In conclusion, softball has beneficially impacted my life in a multitude of ways. I have learned many characteristics that have and will continue to aide me throughout life. Because of softball, I am achieving what I always dreamt of achieving. I play college softball, am educated, and am on track toward being able to help others through being a physical therapist. I could not envision a life without the sports in general. It has given me purpose. I have watched it give others a purpose. Thank you, sports.

Mental wellness affects our actions and how we view the world. It affects our abilities to cope, adapt, be productive, solve problems, and overall function. Mental health also coexists with physical health. This is why it is essential to delve out the time to practice actions that optimize our mental wellness. Neglecting your mental wellness is no way to live, as this can cause feelings of unhappiness, sadness, hopelessness, and more. I stay active to maintain my mental wellness. I find ways to move I enjoy, make me feel good, and are beneficial for my body. This includes playing college softball, weightlifting, attending spin classes, going on long walks, and hiking. I feel on top of the world whenever I achieve a new personal record on a lift or get to walk through and explore a new beautiful area. I know, too, I am benefitting not only my physical but also mental health. Exercise can be just as effective as antidepressants. Not only does exercise have physiological effects that promote mental health, but there are several physical benefits that coexist with this. It allows us to optimize our overall health, preventing us from developing disease and improving our sleep, body composition, and countless other health factors (Harvard, 2021). Mental health and physical health also feed off each other. Being depressed can actually worsen diseases such as arthritis and heart disease (Guilbeault, 2022). Therefore, exercise is important as mental and physical health come hand-in-hand. Another practice I have for maintaining my mental wellness is taking time out of my day to be alone and rest. This allows me to recharge after a long day so I can continue to be productive and feel well. I have a full-time job at a hospital, and I am also obtaining my master's degree full-time while playing collegiate softball, so I often feel worn out after a busy day. All I need is about 30 minutes to myself before I feel recharged and can continue having a productive day, post-work. Doing too many things at once and not giving ourselves a rest can make us feel very tired, drained, and can potentially lead to burnout and unhappiness. Giving ourselves a rest when we our bodies need it prevents these feelings from occurring, allowing us to continue to live our lives to the fullest. To conclude, mental wellness is a factor that affects our everyday lives, our actions, and how we see the world. This is why it is important to take time to practice what helps our mental wellness and live our lives to the fullest. I personally maintain my mental wellness through exercise and allowing myself to rest, but there is a plethora of ways people can optimize their mental health and make them feel well. References Guilbeault, L. (2022, Aug 8). Genetics and depression: Are some people more at risk than others? Mind Diagnostics. https://www.mind-diagnostics.org/blog/depression/genetics-and-depression-are-some-people-at-risk-more-than-others#:~:text=Conditions%20such%20as%20diabetes%2C%20arthritis%2C%20and%20heart%20disease,could%20worsen%20if%20not%20recognized%20and%20treated%20early. Harvard Health Publishing. (2021, Feb 2). Exercise is an all-natural treatment to fight depression. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu/mind-and-mood/exercise-is-an-all-natural-treatment-to-fight-depression.

A technology indicating to me that technology can make the world a better place is the adoption of TeleHealth visits. TeleHealth visits allow physicians and providers to connect and facilitate appointments with their patient no matter where they are. They can be performed in various locations and on multiple different video platforms. While TeleHealth existed pre-pandemic, they were widely utilized during the brink of COVID-19. TeleHealth allows flexibility for the patient so they can have their appointment whenever and wherever it is convenient for them. As a healthcare worker myself, I find it hard to delve out time in my day to physically go to a doctor's office. Most offices close by the time I am done with work for the day. Some patients may not always have reliable transportation and it's hard to get to places on time. IT may also be hard for older individuals to physically get to their appointments. With TeleHealth, patients can simply connect to their appointment over the phone or on their computer. TeleHealth also allows doctors to fit more patients into their busy schedules. As a medical scribe, I see that doctors' offices are still heavily backed up from the time these places were closed during the pandemic. With TeleHealth, they can easily fit more patients into their day to ease up the backlog from COVID-19 and provide relief for people at an earlier convenience. TeleHealth is a universal win for both doctors and their patients. It allows both to connect to their convenience so they can give and receive care in a timely fashion.