Rehabilitation Sciences (RS)
Fertile Soil Produces Abundant Growth By Bill Scott, PT, MSPT ’96, PhD Candidate Here in Southwest Michigan, Berrien County is known for its orchards, vineyards, and corn and soybean fields. People travel from Chicago, Indianapolis, and Detroit just to enjoy the area produce. Throughout the summer we are blessed with abundant fruits and vegetables because of the tireless labor our local farmers put into their crops. Every day, farmers till the soil, plant the seeds, and fertilize the ground so that they can ensure the best crop possible for the year. Fruit trees and vineyards are pruned and watered to facilitate the strongest branches in growing the best fruit. When each crop comes into season, we enjoy the end product of a lot of hard work. Each year the School of Rehabilitation Sciences awards scholarships to Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students with funds that have been provided by alumni like you. Your donation to our Department of Physical Therapy Alumni Endowed Scholarship Fund (https:// andrews.edu/go/give/ptesf ) has allowed us to enrich the soil for learning in our program. This financial enrichment allows us to grow exemplary students in our program. The Alumni Scholarship is awarded to students that need financial assistance. Students take the time to apply for the scholarship and share in an essay why they chose physical therapy as a career and why they chose Andrews University. This year we were able to award four $1,000.00 scholarships to select class of 2025 members. The scholarship has been awarded to Nathan Barnes, Anna Lonto, Edgar Kavistan-Velez, and Joel Wright. Nathan Barnes reflected on his decision to come to Andrews University. He states that “The Christian values that Andrews embraces is something that stood out to me. There was another school that I applied to that held Christian values and beliefs but did not cherish them like Andrews did. My faith and trust in God are something I always want to keep at the center of my life, and because of this, Andrews seemed to be the perfect opportunity to be able to continue to embark on these values I hold for myself. Andrews University stood out compared to all the other schools I applied to. I was 54 / The Pulse 2024
Nathan Barnes
impressed with how personal and down-toearth the staff at Andrews was. The people I interacted with on my interview day were all incredibly welcoming and it allowed me to have a sense of belonging and inner peace that no other program compared to.” Nathan also expressed his motivation for becoming a physical therapist here at Andrews University: “I find that building a relationship of trust and chemistry with patients is a huge step in helping them overcome their impairments and getting them back to their functional abilities. Incorporating Christian values into the care and treatment that I provide to my patients will demonstrate to them a sense of trust and compassion and will hopefully give them the strength to put forth their best efforts to do their part in overcoming their limitations they are experiencing. Not every patient is going to be easy to work with, but putting forth my best efforts in giving them the care they deserve is something I always want to make sure to do as a therapist. This verse from Matthew Chapter 7 helps remind me of the importance of treating everyone with the upmost respect: “So whatever you wish that men do to you, do so to them.” Edgar Kavistan-Velez tells a story of determination and persistence watching his father teach himself to walk again after a work-related injury. After that experience and an ACL reconstruction of his own, Edgar reflected on the journey that he witnessed his father go through and made him want to give back to him in the future. Edgar states, “I chose Andrews University because I love the camaraderie of each cohort and because of the quality of the education provided. The professors
are truly invested into the success of each student. From practical exams to clinical rotations, Andrews offers authentic insight and experience of what working in the field is like. Andrews’ physical therapy program stands apart because in every aspect, it encompasses the foremost goal of Christian education: to teach students of Christ’s character and to minister for Him through one’s chosen profession. “I have a desire to start my own clinic and eventually teach at a university. I want to provide holistic care to patients and prioritize patient care over profit margins. By doing so, I aspire to help patients like my father who did not have
Edgar Kavistan-Velez
the financial means to receive physical therapy. God has a plan for my career as a physical therapist. Already, He has blessed me immensely through my academic journey, so I am eager to see what He has in store for my professional career. I believe teaching would be such a fulfilling way to end my career because I would be able to share all that God has taught me to a new generation of physical therapists.” Anna Lonto shared her vision for being a future physical therapist. Anna states, “I want to use my holistic approach of care learned here and apply it to each patient I see. I want to be better than the ‘standard of care.’ I want to push boundaries and think outside of the box; I want to be the difference. I want to treat each patient as if they are my family, and I want to see and treat them as a whole person rather than only treating a localized injury they may have. With the help of this scholarship, I will get closer to this goal, and I will work my way up as a physical therapist until one