My Dream That Will Come True by Matthew

My Dream That Will Come True by Matthew - December 2015 Scholarship Essay

Motivation and passion drives brilliant minds to create groundbreaking inventions and develop ideas that shape the world. Everyone has something that motivates them to strive to achieve greatness or to complete a task. My motivating force is reaching my fullest potential and changing others’ lives by giving back. My goals are set high to attend graduate school to obtain my DPT/ PhD dual degree allowing me to practice and conduct research in the physical therapy field. With these possibilities, I can positively affect and contribute to the advancement in physical therapy treatments. My involvement in two independent undergraduate research projects sponsored by Falcon Scholars, the Honors program, and the Ronald E. McNair Scholars program sparked my interest of performing research for my career. In a similar manner, being a member of the cross country and track team inspired me to perform research involving different aspects of running and one day specialize in running rehabilitation. While competing as a runner, I endured various injuries and sought the aid of physical therapists, which inspired and further motivated me to pursue physical therapy. In addition, my Falcon Scholars and Honors research project will be observing the energy expenditure of running at different elevations and evaluating the relationship of the runner’s body composition to energy expenditure. For this project, my mentor, Dr. O’Kroy and I worked closely together to develop the research protocol and parameters. Working with Dr. O’Kroy allowed me firsthand research experience of submitting IRB forms, applying for financial grants, developing research procedures, conducting and collecting data. Also, later this year, I will be presenting my finding of this research at ACSM Midwest and National Conferences. My McNair Scholars research project will be performed this summer in a neuromuscular biomechanics lab at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Working in a high caliber lab under the guidance of a graduate faculty member, Dr. Hiederscheit; I will be investigating the ground reaction forces and foot inclination angle at initial contact during running. Through these projects, my knowledge of conducting research will continue to develop with various learning opportunities. These involvements kindle my interest and further motivate me to achieve my goal of obtaining the DPT/PHD dual degree.

Various programs around the country offer DPT/PHD degrees with rigorous expectations. Through my educational journey at University of Wisconsin –River Falls (UWRF) greatly prepared me for graduate school programs by the enhancement of my academic skills of studying, reading and writing research, and conceptual thinking. In addition to the skills I obtained, UWRF provided numerous opportunities for involvements in the community and on campus. As a member of the cross country and track team, member and officer of the Pre-Physical Therapy Club, big brother in the Big Brother Big Sister Organization, volunteer at the Hudson Hospital, and as a tutor enhanced my leadership skills and strengthen my capabilities to become a physical therapist. As a testament of the skills obtain and fine-tuned at UWRF, I earned a cumulative GPA of a 4.0. These skills coupled with my opportunities throughout campus and the community allowed me to create a competitive application for graduate school.