My Worst High School Experience Led Me to My Career Goal by John

My Worst High School Experience Led Me to My Career Goal by John - February 2024 Scholarship Essay

At the end of my freshman season of high school football, I took a fateful, blindside hit during a kickoff and heard a loud “pop” in my knee. Feeling that excruciating pain, I hobbled off to the sideline knowing whatever just happened was not good. Later that week during a trip to the ortho doctor, I returned home with my handy crutches, knee wrapped up like a mummy, and I made a nest in my bed surrounded by my pillow wedges and bags of ice. The fact the entire world was still going on as normal, especially my football teammates' lives, was disheartening and depressing. The only thing I could do was sit there like a bump on a log taking pain pills and antibiotics. Not long afterwards, I quickly began the grueling weekly physical therapy appointments. The PT clinic slowly became my home away from home and, surprisingly, I began to look forward to these appointments. My physical therapist made it fun and challenging, taking my mind off my pain.

During the beginning of my senior year of high school, I was lucky to get the chance to intern at the same physical therapy clinic I received treatment from a few years prior. This time I was happy to be there in a very different role. I was able to observe unique situations that I had not noticed before. I not only got to see the physical therapists treat patients with therapy, but I got to see how they interact with each other and what they do during lunch and break. I like how they model a healthy active lifestyle during their off hours. And, because they have great personal relationships in addition to work relationships, they enjoy playing pickleball and swimming together. I also observed the frustrations they sometimes had with the patients' doctors. Sometimes the doctors, according to them, misidentified or neglected an aspect of their treatment that the physical therapists felt should have been addressed. I got to witness the seemingly ongoing issues with insurance companies that can cause some frustrations in this career field. At the end of my internship, I got to experience a lab where I was able to simulate laparoscopic surgery and even had to “sew up” a patient. I truly got to experience the good, the bad, and the ugly. However, I am not deterred, but only excited to pursue this challenging, but rewarding field.

Looking back, it is crazy to think one that one of the worst moments in my high school life, was the most pivotal experience that led me to what academic path I ended up taking to reach the career goals I set for myself. Being on the receiving end of physical therapy treatment and being influenced by the diverse school community of classmates, I am excited to serve my community with the compassion and sensitivity they deserve. The satisfaction I will have to get to help rehabilitate athletes back to their pre-injury abilities will be so rewarding. I look forward to helping individuals on their journey of recovery and educating them on how to alleviate possible pain through movement and without pain medicine. I understand the impact a person in the medical field can have on their community and the quality of life of those individuals. By garnering the trust of its people, a community can gain insight from generations of treatment they have received and share within their families, creating a healthy community for years to come.