My Journey Through Academia

After graduating from Carmel High School all the way back in 2009, I originally went to Ball State University with the intent of graduating with an elementary education degree. Unfortunately, I found that my interests were not in education, but in anatomy. A friend was in school for nursing and I was fascinated by her anatomy textbooks and how the body worked. I decided on massage therapy school in 2010, with the thought that once I graduated, I would then work while going to school for physical therapy.
Once I graduated from the Indiana Therapeutic Massage School, I found that I loved helping my clients with massage therapy so much that I decided to work instead of continuing with more education. I have worked as a licensed massage therapist for 12 years now, and have loved every minute of it. However, in 2019, I made the decision to go back to school. I began my journey at IUPUI with the intent to pursue a degree in Biomedical Engineering. I still loved how the body worked, and wanted to continue helping people any way I could. Once Covid-19 hit in 2020, I switched my major to Mathematics, as it was the only all-online degree I could find an interest in. However, I realized that it did not fulfill my love for anatomy and how the body functions. After coming home ranting about how frustrated I was with other people involved in one of my client's care, my husband suggested I find a degree that would give me the chance to help the clients already under my care, while also with the ability to teach others what I had learned from my unique perspective. I am now pursuing a degree in Exercise Science with the intent to continue with a masters in either Athletic Training, a doctorate in Physical therapy, or degrees in both. I have enjoyed all of my classes thus far and feel completely fulfilled with what I am pursuing. It's been a long road, but I am confident I am going down the right path for my academic journey.