Why I want to be a Physical Therapist by Luz

Why I want to be a Physical Therapist by Luz - February 2019 Scholarship Essay

Where are the tissues? I cried again. I went to my podiatrist for a routine visit. He watched me walk, and then sat me down and said to my parents and I: “She would really benefit from more therapy.”

When I learned to walk, I walked with my feet pointing inward. I would trip over my feet all the time, so my parents and I went to my soon-to-be favorite doctor, Dr. Nick the podiatrist. He had my feet casted so that insoles for my shoes could be made to help me walk.

I’ve been to different physical therapy clinics and seen different physical therapists treat and care for their patients. All the clinics I’ve been to have helped. Some helped more than others. I remember clearly a clinic where the staff was strict and not very caring to patients. However, I also remember my favorites.

In 2016, I was back in the therapist’s office. I rolled my ankle and sprained my knee and ankle. This is when I met Rhonda. My mom thinks her and I connected because of the closeness of age, however, she was very kind and caring and really helped me recover. Before I had this experience, I was sure I wanted to be a teacher. Over my sophomore summer, I volunteered at children’s camp as a counselor and loved working with all the kids.

At camp, there was a physically disabled boy who never wanted to follow the group and didn’t like listening to counselors. One time, he took some sea shells from the classroom upstairs. I told him anything upstairs must stay upstairs, but he wasn’t having it. He was going to throw them on the ground. I caught it before he could, and so he decided to bite me! After that, I was not sure if teaching was for me.

Coming back to Rhonda, I worked with her over a seven-month period. I saw how she cared and helped me. She is a great therapist, my favorite, and I know I want to be just like her.

I’m not in physical therapy now. I attend a gym three times a week to strengthen my hips, legs, and ankles. A chiropractor insisted I join a sport, but I refused, chosing to strength train instead.

This year, I started vision therapy. I struggle with Accommodative Insufficiency, Convergence Insufficiency, and Oculomotor Dysfunction. All together it means when my eyes try to focus on one thing, like reading words on a page, my vision strains and the words start to jump on the page. My vision therapists are nice, caring, and helpful. They are great examples of the way I want to practice therapy.

I’ve grown and learned a lot by visiting clinics and working with therapists. Most were helpful, some were terrible, but I continue. I want to be a physical therapist and have a positive impact on others. I want to be able to help and watch people grow into who they aspire to be.