"Pursuit without passion is trivial." Through the blistering Iowa summer heat, I tried to make sense of the phrase the former coach of Central College's football program kept reiterating in his address to the summer collegiate football camp. I remember repeating that phrase in the weeks that followed, up to the beginning of my freshman year at Central College, where I would be pursuing a career in coaching and education as an Exercise Science and Secondary Education Double Major while participating as a collegiate athlete.
I remember recalling Coach Schipper's favorite saying two years later, after a series of back injuries had prematurely ended my collegiate athletic career, effectively reducing my ability to afford the private education my athletic talent had previously secured for me. There was seemingly no reprieve from either a back that wouldn't allow me to get out of bed on my own, or the lackluster GPA accumulated by my passion for athletics outweighing my obedience to my studies. Armed with only the desire to better myself both physically and mentally, and the conviction to become a first-generation college graduate, I asked myself, "What is your passion? Are you willing to pursue it?"
Upon being denied acceptance into The University of Iowa, I chose to enroll at Kirkwood Community College, where I would finish my Associate's degree, enabling me to transfer to Iowa. I found this desire to attain a Bachelor's degree from Iowa only to be attainable through unconventional means: work a job while taking a lowered class load in favor of financial responsibility, rather than rely on loan or parental financial assistance. This choice had an adverse effect on my studies, both at Kirkwood and at Iowa. It wasn't until testing positive in the 90th percentile for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder that the quote I had memorized from Coach Schipper came into play yet again.
As my back became pain-free through a year's worth of physical therapy, I saw my affinity for education transform into a passion for wellness and helping others through rehabilitation. Though I had not completed any prerequisite classes since fulfilling my major requirements in health and sports studies, I consulted with Travis Sterling who was the original PT I saw for my back injury in preparation of the application process. He put me in contact with an outpatient clinic in my area, which I visited to observe. After observing everything from a marathon runner's gait problem to a car crash victim's incredible 6 month recovery, I knew that PT would be my lifelong passion.
My unsatisfactory academic profile would prove to be my first deterrent. I re-enrolled at Kirkwood and Iowa to fulfill PT school prerequisites, and am on the way to achieving a 3.7 in my first semester back at school full time via treatment for my ADHD and a newfound enjoyment for the material I am learning. I also contacted any person doing research in the PT field at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, which lead me to Dr. Yack.
Dr. Yack is the director of the Gait Analysis Lab at UIHC. Upon contacting him, he invited me to come speak with him about volunteer opportunities, to which we agreed upon my help in an upcoming study on the effects of obesity on knee hyperextension in women. Through the next months I helped on numerous studies involving gait analysis, which lead to Dr. Yack offering me a position as a research assistant on his staff. I am currently working with the U of Iowa Gymnasts study comparing ankle dorsiflexion between gymnasts of different ages and non-gymnasts to determine if certain training techniques alter dorsiflexion compression injuries. This experience has yet again transformed my passion with my future career in narrowing my desired specialization to either orthopedics or gait.
This working knowledge of research in the field of PT I get to experience on a daily basis will not only help me through my PT program, but also has given me aspirations to improve the collective knowledge of the field of PT. Although my college experience was far from traditional and extremely disheartening at times, I look back on it with thankfulness. My unique experience not only exposed me to financial responsibility and three collegiate settings, but it also has prepared me for the tough road ahead to attain my goal of becoming a PT. If it not for the twists and turns, I would not have found PT. "Pursuit without passion is trivial."
1. I think you should say "physical therapy/therapist" instead of "PT" (Abbreviating looks very informal)
2. What about the first time you heard that statement made it stick with you throughout all this time?
Overall, you have a powerful story to tell and you did a good job. Just make sure that you don't sacrifice the "why I love physical therapy" part in the beginning for a lot of details about "what I've done" in the end.
