When I came to Naz, there honestly wasn’t a thought in my mind about how I would continue community service. I was too overwhelmed with a new living environment, being away from home, making new friends, and everything else that comes with starting college. As I settled in, I found out about the Partners for Serving (PFS) Program and applied for a position. Fast forward four years later, I attended sites, was a site coordinator for an after school program in the city, worked as a student office coordinator, and was on the PFS Council. I also began working at the Hickey Center for Interfaith Studies and Dialogue assisting with programming and promoting community involvement in interfaith dialogue. I am so thankful that I was made aware of these opportunities, as service has always been a big part of my life and I wasn’t quite sure how that would continue into my college experience.
I grew up on a small family farm raising goats and cattle and was very involved in the 4-H program. I did a lot of outreach through my church and through 4-H, but it wasn’t something I had necessarily considered continuing through college. The foundation for civic engagement that the Center for Civic Engagement and PFS provided me with was everything I needed and more. I gained an understanding of the inner workings of civic engagement and the different ways to be involved as someone working with, rather than for, communities. I attended countless workshops (paid opportunities!) centered around professional development, social and racial justice, and many others. These workshops informed my current and future path for civic engagement, and allowed me to lay the foundation for how I will continue my journey as I move through my graduate education and beyond. Through my experience with PFS, one of the many opportunities I had was to go to a nursing home every Sunday and do activities and talk with the residents there. This sparked my interest in working with the elderly population as a physical therapist. I then decided to volunteer at the Sisters of Saint Joseph Mother House to go to game nights with the sisters there through the Gerontology Club. These experiences have allowed me to see the issues that the elderly population faces, and as a future physical therapist, I hope to shed light on these issues and help my patients achieve their best possible physical function for whatever phase of life they may be in. My ultimate goal as a physical therapist is to give back to those who have served our country by providing physical therapy for these individuals at a Veterans’ Affairs Hospital.
As I reflect on my time here in my undergraduate education at Naz, I look back on the progress I have made as a result of my civic engagement. As I have progressed through the Partners program, I have grown exponentially in my understanding of community engagement, being an active citizen, and the meaning of reciprocity. There are two main takeaways that are at the forefront of my mind when I think about the impact PFS has had on my life’s work. First and foremost, I believe I am better equipped to form developmental relationships within whatever community I work in with a mindset of reciprocity. I also believe PFS has allowed me to grow as a leader. I have become much more open to hearing others’ ideas and suggestions, and I am better able to work on a team to accomplish a goal. I value the insights of others more than I did initially, which I think is something that will take me a long way in my life’s work. I am so fortunate to have been a part of Partners for Serving during my time here at Nazareth College, and the experiences I have had in the program are ones I will take with me forever and will continue to build off of in my life’s work.
Me in my first week of my first clinical ever!
My parents and I at graduation 🙂 Yes, my dad is wearing a tie with my face on it… how embarrassing!!! 
My best friend Aryelle and I in front of York Wellness and Rehabilitation Institute – where we spend all of our time! 
Receiving the PT Student Service Award. I didn’t know I was getting this award or that it would be presented this day – it was a surprise! Hence, my outfit/PT student uniform (sweats and a sweatshirt)…
One of the things I am most passionate about is my martial arts training. I have been training since I was 5 and was promoted to Master in October 2019. I also travel the country and world fighting on the North American Sport Karate Circuit. This is me in front of the Washington Monument before a tournament in D.C.
My love for the 4-H program and raising animals runs deep and will always be a part of me. It made me tough and it made me resilient. As I told my dad recently, you can take the girl off the farm but you can’t take the farm out of the girl.