varsity athlete in high school, I was able to continue my passion for athletics in college playing Division 2 volleyball.  I kept my head down during college and made the best grades I could pushing straight forward to my dream of becoming a Doctor of Physical Therapy.  In 2009, I graduated and headed straight into residency to continue to pursue excellence for my patients.  I loved (and still do love) sports and knew that was the population I wanted to work with.  As a Board-Certified Sports Clinician, I was happy, impacting my patients lives daily.  I also found that I loved the little old ladies just as much as my high-level athletes, because created connections with people and providing compassionate care fuels me. 

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I’m an educator.

 

All through high school, undergrad, and graduate school there never once was an inkling that I was going to all of this school (7 years post high-school) to become something other than a physical therapist.  PT was (and still is) my passion.  Helping others, that is all I ever wanted to do.  But, life had another path for me to find.  During residency I was afforded the opportunity to adjunct in a first-year orthopedic physical therapy class.  That was all it took….I was caught…hook, line, and sinker.  Seeing students process information and have the “Ah-ha” moments was energizing to me.  Being able to create relationships with students and encourage, educate, and energize them on their path to excellence has been the most rewarding part of my career.  And, oh yea, the TEACHING!  I LOVE TEACHING!  I love everything about it.  The prepping prior to lectures, the question writing, the advising students, the research, etc.  I truly feel blessed to feel that I have found a career that I can fire on all cylinders.  I’m passionate about using design and technology in the classroom to engage my students and hope to inspire them to be the best clinician, coach, confident, and friend to their patients and colleagues. 

 

I’m a mom.

 

Really, I am first a wife…then a mom.  But, in all honesty these roles hit me smack at the same time.  When I got married in 2010, I immediately became a mom as well…a step-mom at that.  All my life I grew up watching fairy tales and petrified of the evil step-mother….and here I was at the age of 26 becoming the evil stepmother.  I’m pretty sure I can say that, because I think at some point both of my girls would agree they thought I was.  Being a step-parent has mostly not been easy, I think for a lot of reasons due to my own insecurities, immaturity, and ignorance.  Despite its difficulties, reward and growth has truly been a part of this journey.  My husband and I decided to add to this life’s messiness with a little boy of our own.  Being a part of the journey for my 3-year-old son from the start has been such a wonderfully, tiring experience. 

 

I really haven’t found the answer book when it comes to managing all of these roles.  Clinician. Educator. Wife/Mom.  I have read books on parenting, treating patients, teaching pedagogy, and even how to juggle, but nothing has been the golden ticket….yet.  I never thought I would go to PT school to become a professor, but here I am.  I never thought I would be a mom of a 21-year-old, a 18-year-old, and a 3-year-old at the same time, but here I am.  I never thought I would have the opportunity to positively impact the world, but here I am.  If you feel this way at times, I hope you can find some encouragement and peace waiting for you right in this moment.  I share my journey with you because I have felt comfort in experiencing life in parallel with others.