In high school and my early days at Saint Joseph’s University, I usually had difficulty in thinking about what I was going to pursue as my career. There was one thing that I knew I wanted my career to have, and that was to work with people. Being personable and empathetic, I find interest and ease in communicating and collaborating with others, especially when discussing and helping them through their problems.

This interest led me to choose psychology as my undergraduate major, with hopes of becoming a counselor to high school students. I enjoyed learning about how the human mind works, but as my coursework continued I was second-guessing my decision to pursue a career as a counselor. 

Around this time, I began working out with my Dad during my holiday breaks. My parents are very active people, which generated my interest and influenced me to take up regular exercise. This is where my interest turned into a passion. I found so much joy pushing myself in the weightroom, seeing how much weight I could lift, exploring different workouts and exercises, and testing my fitness. I would scour the internet on different things like tips for a great squat, shoulder ‘bullet-proofing’, and even celebrity workouts. 

With my newfound passion for exercise, I began to think about my future. I wondered how I could combine these two interests- exercise and helping people- and come up with a career to pursue for myself. I spoke with my aunt, who is also a physical therapist, and found the answer I was looking for. 

My route to PT school was not the traditional path, as I began filling in my prerequisites and kicking that off by starting in Physics I the day after I graduated from college. I was happy that my hard work paid off when I was accepted to Thomas Jefferson university, which began summer of 2016. I was very grateful and excited for the opportunity as my goal of becoming a PT was getting closer. 

The experiences, shadowing, and clinical rotations during school helped me gain a sense of how physical therapists can improve the lives and functionality of others, and how this directly improves an individual’s quality of life. It also helped me realize that physical therapy is a way to ‘bridge the gap’ from a life of injury or illness into a life of health and wellness. I learned physical therapy is a way to show and prove that exercise is a tool for healing, and is just as impactful psychologically as it is physically. My journey finally came full circle, utilizing what I learned and experienced with my psychology courses to help develop communication and motivation strategies with a variety of people. These strategies would ultimately help create a strong therapist-patient relationship and facilitate patient goal achievement. 

Since becoming a physical therapist, it has been my goal to help ‘bridge that gap’ and be an advocate for exercise and fitness, to contribute to overall well-being and quality of life. It is also my goal to help you achieve your goals. My treatment is entirely customized; it centers around your specific needs. I also believe in a strong patient-client relationship, where there is balance in decision-making with the plan of care. I enjoy working with all populations, from professional athletes to geriatrics to the 14-year old soccer player with an ankle sprain.