My mom is a nurse, so I’ve always been interested in the healthcare industry. I remember when I was in 5th grade, she came to Career Day and brought a bunch of bones into class and told us about where they were in the body and what they did. That day has always stuck with me, but it took me a few years to make my own way into the medical field.

My fascination with the human body began at a very young age. When I was in first grade, I scraped my knee and told my mom to not worry because my platelets were forming a scab for me. In high school, when my dad had heart surgery, I realized I wanted to do something involving surgery someday.

When I was 5, my 7-month-old brother had open-heart surgery to repair a congenital defect. When I looked back on that experience over the years, I came to truly appreciate that team of doctors and nurses. I started to think it would be cool if I could help others the way those healthcare workers helped my family. It took me a while to figure out exactly what I wanted to do, but I knew that a career in healthcare could be a good fit for me!

I didn’t become seriously interested in healthcare until the age of 30. I was working for an insurance company in a cubicle and talking was frowned upon. I’m a very social person, so I began to consider changing to a career with more human interaction. My parents suggested nursing because I had always taken care of sick family members. After doing some research, I decided to give it a try.

I entered the healthcare profession after completing the certified nursing assistant (CNA) program and decided then that nursing was my life’s calling.

Healthcare workers have always been heroes to me. When I was little, I often talked about becoming a doctor. I wanted so badly to help people feel better. Over the years I considered several different career paths, but it wasn’t until college that I was introduced to my passion: physical therapy.