(Personal Photo from my favorite musical performance- Jane Eyre)
(Personal photo of my favorite place in Colorado: Boulder Lake)
Monday, January 16, 2017
Introduction to a Performer and Future Physical Therapist
Hello, and welcome to my blog! My name is Katie Hill, I'm twenty-two years old, and I have been born and raised in Norman, Oklahoma. (BOOMER)
I have a variety of interests from music and theatre to health science and exercise, both of which have been my majors throughout college. I started my Freshman year of college at the University of Central Oklahoma as a Musical Theatre major. After performing in over fifteen musicals in high school, auditioning all over the country, and absolutely obsessing over musicals and Broadway performers for years, it was a dream come true to perform collegiately!
I also dreamed of moving to New York City and becoming a Broadway star someday. So I took voice lessons, musical theory, piano, ballet, jazz, tap, modern, theatre history, and rehearsed many hours a day for productions and performances. I even met famous stars such as Betty Buckley and Judy Kuhn (voice of Mulan and Pocahontas)!
However, during my Freshman year, I dislocated my knees several times and was finally unable to dance anymore. So I decided to transfer to OU as a Health and Exercise Science major and begin studying for my new dream- Physical Therapy. My favorite classes at OU have been Anatomy and Physiology as I learned more about the human body and the way it works and maintains itself. I have also experienced Physical Therapy, as a patient for both knee and shoulder surgery, and worked as a Physical Therapy technician, so I fell in love with a field that involves helping people manage and relieve pain, rehabilitate after injury, return to daily activities, and achieve goals they didn't think were possible.
After spending the last few years preparing for applications and interviews, I am absolutely thrilled that I will be pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy at the University of Central Arkansas after graduation in May. I could not be more excited to have achieved my goals and be one step closer to helping people! I will hopefully work at an Orthopaedic Outpatient Clinic and possibly specialize in Neurological or Performance Rehabilitation somewhere in Colorado, like Boulder, Denver, or Colorado Springs someday!
Aside from classes, I like to watch Netflix, take and teach Zumba Fitness classes, sing in the OU choir, participate in my sorority Tri Delta, and Campus Activities Council (CAC) at OU. My favorite Netflix shows are Grey's Anatomy, New Girl, The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Breaking Bad and I probably watch them too often. My favorite de-stressor is Zumba and I try to take as many classes a week as possible. I also sing in the OU University Chorale as well as perform in CAC's University Sing and Scandals with my sorority. I am looking forward to my last semester at OU this spring and will be sad to leave the greatest university!
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Oh my gosh, Katie, what a coincidence: just a few minutes ago I read an Intro post from Savannah who is in this class, and she is also going to Central Arkansas to study Physical Therapy... and she also wants to go to Colorado eventually. Do you two know each other already...??? Here is here post: Introduction to a Future Physical Therapist.... — if you don't know each other already, I hope this class will be a chance for you to get together and share your interests! I'll try to remember to put you in the same blogging group for this week so you can be sure to meet!
ReplyDeleteAnd please let me know about Chorale performances or anything else I can publicize in the announcements. There are always events to share, but it is the most fun when they are events connected with people in the class. :-)
Yes, we do know each other and are excited to move to Arkansas together! It definitely makes me much less nervous to know that I already have a friend there. :)
DeleteI can also email you a list of our Chorale performances. There aren't very many this semester, but they will definitely be fun and I would love to see people there!
Well...I already knew most of this about you, but it just reiterates how multitalented you are! Okay but I didn't know you had met the person who did the voices of Mulan and Pocahontas that is so cool! I am excited for our future in Conway and what UCA holds for us. Who knows we might even just keep on going and road trip our way to Colorado when we are done there! I'm also thankful you have good taste in Netflix shows so we already know what we will be doing in our down time in Conway (:
ReplyDeleteWow, I agree with Savannah, you are very multi-talented! How cool that you already know each other and are actually both going to pursue your dreams together. Props to you for performing and being a part of so many theatrical plays/musicals and performances. That's so cool, and something I honestly could never do. I'm also glad to hear that you liked Anatomy & Physiology here. I have dreaded taking them, but will my final semester due to all of the bad things I've heard about Anatomy & Physiology here. Also, what college student can't relate to having at least a small obsession with Netflix? :) Grey's Anatomy just makes it so much harder to stray from Netflix. It's so much more interesting and easier to watch a medical drama than school work sometimes! Good luck to you in your future!
ReplyDeleteSOONER! Hey Katie, hearing about your dedication to your love of music and theatrics is astounding. I thought playing golf in high school took a lot of time, but you showed me that it wasn't anything. I think it's great that you were able to take a negative thing (dislocating your knee several times) and turn it into something that fueled your career choice. I know if I were a patient for a physical therapist, it would be more comforting to have someone who had to go through similar things, give me advice. I love The Office! I watch that one way too often too. Good luck in your last semester!
ReplyDeleteHey Katie,
ReplyDeleteIt is extremely impressive how talented you are in both music and theater. I am sorry to hear about all of your injuries but at least you were able to find a career that you enjoy. Congratulations on being accepted to PT school at the University of Central Arkansas. I actually have watched all of your favorite Netflix shows and can say that The Office is one of my favorite shows of all time!
It was nice to meet you and good luck this semester!
That is so cool that you are a performer! I love musicals so much, but I could only dream of being able to actually perform in them. Congratulations on your acceptance to PT school! I had to have a tons of physical therapy in high school for my ankle, so I have a lot of respect for the profession. We have very similar tastes in tv shows, and I also watch way too much Netflix. Good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteWow. You are so accomplished and will go far in life, I am sure. I'm sorry about your injuries. My sister went through that in high school and she couldn't play soccer her senior year. Now she rows for OU, but she's always fearful of hurting her knees. I wish you the best of luck in pursuing your doctorates. I also think it's great that you found a major that you really enjoy. You are lucky, because not everyone is able to find something they enjoy while in college.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie! Nice to meet you. What high aspirations you have! It sounds like you have the drive and motivation to make these dreams a reality. It would be so cool to live in New York City... not just for the arts and career opportunities but also to meet all of the different people that you could possible encounter while you are there. I'm sorry to hear about your physical obstruction to dancing, but it sounds like you still get to enjoy a good amount of Zumba! Good luck while you are in Arkansas.
ReplyDeleteHey Katie! Your story is truly amazing! Your dreams are so great! It makes me sad that you couldn't continue to pursue your dream of being a performer, but it is absolutely amazing that you found your passion for helping others reach their goals again through physical therapy! I wish you the best of luck in graduate school! Congratulations on graduating and following your dreams!
ReplyDeleteHi, I grew up in Norman too! It's nice to hear about someone else who grew up in town. We're the same age, but I don't recognize your name--did you go to Norman North? I went to Norman High. c:
ReplyDeleteParks and Rec and New Girl are great! I watch them casually when I need a pick-me-up. Have you ever watched the Netflix series The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt? You might like it. There are also a few references to famous musicals because one of the side characters is pursuing a career in acting.
Will you be focusing on working with people with injuries similar to yours? If so, I think that's fantastic! I love when multiple interests can come together. I run a lot and have always been generally active so I've seen my share of injuries and so now one of the areas I'm thinking about working in is prosthesis and how to engineer the human body. It's always better when you can approach something from the other side and add another perspective.
ReplyDeleteHi Katie! First off, congratulations on getting into the University of Central Arkansas! Getting your doctorate must be nerve wracking and exciting at the same time! Second, I think that’s really awesome that you’ve been in so many musicals. I’ve also participated in U-Sing and Scandals! I love it so much (sometimes I wish I could major in it). This semester I finally get to just participate as a member so I’m really excited, but it’s really strange not being a director. And I agree, it’s my last semester too and I’m excited for graduation but sad at the same time. It’s all bittersweet. (':
ReplyDeleteYour life sounds just a little bit like my own. I used to do gymnastics and could have had a full ride scholarship to college but I injured my knees and ankle and eventually I was no longer able to continue in gymnastics. I had to make the tough decision to quit, even though gymnastics was a passion of mine since I was very young. I also started school with one major and ended up refocusing later on. Initially, I was a neonatology major and I realized quickly I couldn’t emotionally handle it. I considered pediatrics but also talked myself out of that. Eventually I settled on veterinary medicine. However, about a year ago, I finally realized my true passion is CSI. So, now I’m an anthropology and forensic science major, hoping to work for the FBI one day!!
ReplyDeleteHey Katie. I am so sorry to hear about your injury. I know I loved doing theater myself, only school or community theaters though. I remember how stressful musicals can be, even if they are fun at the same time. What plays have you done? I have done Hairspray, Christmas Carol, and Dracula to name a few. Even with your injury, you still could do theater, even if it is not a musical. Your new career plans seem awesome though. I hope you go far!
ReplyDeleteHi Katie! That's awful! I did musical theatre in high school and absolutely loved it. I'm glad that you seem happy with your path in life now though! My best friend tore her ACL, and I got to see first hand how rough knee injuries are. I really respect people who can do medical things because I'm terrified of pretty much everything involved in that. Your picture of Colorado looks gorgeous! I hope all goes well for you!
ReplyDeleteHey Katie! It's nice to meet you and I think you have some wonderful goals! I think it's great that you plan on going into physical therapy. This past Thanksgiving, I separated my left AC shoulder joint and I had to go to an orthopedic surgeon in order to get evaluated and all that good stuff. So, the world definitely needs people in your profession!
ReplyDeleteAlso, congratulations on being a senior and about to be graduating! I'll be graduating this semester too (hi-five!). I hope you have a great rest of your semester! See ya!
Hey Katie! It's a real shame that you can't dance any more, but it's great that you're focusing on helping other people with injuries heal and rehabilitate. It's also great that you still sing so much! Anyways, good luck in your pursuit of a doctorate, though with all the hard work you've been doing it looks like you don't need it!
ReplyDeleteHi, Katie!
ReplyDeleteI really do hope your dreams one day come true. You seem so skilled and talented, and I wish you the best of luck. It is quite a shame that you suffered knee injuries, but you turned this downer into something helpful. Congrats on graduating soon and for pursuing a Doctorate in Physical Therapy, and have fun in Arkansas. Good luck on your future endeavors!
Hi Katie!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on being able to perform! That sounds like a huge achievement and I'm super happy that you were able to do it. Anatomy was the most difficult class I've ever taken (physio isn't too bad) and I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! Going to open lab all the time, right?
I love the Office and Parks and Rec! I am both Ron Swanson and Ben Wyatt B-)
Wow that is so cool that you did musical theater! I have so much respect for people who are able to act and dance and sing! It's amazing that you still want to help people too after dislocating your knee and congrats on your acceptance into your doctorate program! That's so cool! I've recently gotten into watching The Office and it is absolutely hilarious! I also love Breaking Bad and consider it one of the best shows out there.
ReplyDeleteIt takes great strength to leave one passion behind and find another. I applaud you for having that strength; you seem to have an outstanding passion for contributing to physical health efforts!
ReplyDeleteI myself am considering acting as a side affair, and have taken an Acting for Non-Majors class here at OU and an Actor Factory course for Voice Acting! Maybe you can offer me some pointers? I'm sure your input is valuable!
Hi Katie, it's so nice to meet you! You have some really fun passions and I think you're talent in the theatre is amazing, I always thought it would be so cool to be able to perform like that. Good luck with your future in Physical Therapy, I hope you're dreams continue to come true like that already have!
ReplyDeleteSo awesome to get to know you, Katie. It's so great that you've been able to experience so many amazing things and I love how you're so passionate about the things you pursue. I'm so sorry about your knees, but it's great that you found a new passion that you love. I'm sure you'll do great things with physical therapy. I look forward to reading your stories!
ReplyDeleteHey Katie!
ReplyDeleteWow it was great getting to know you. That is so fantastic that you are so passionate about acting and music. I wish I was talented in that aspect, but I am not very good at either of those. I'm also sorry about your injury, but happy that it led you to a new chapter in your life. You seem very ambitious! I too am interested in becoming a Physical Therapist. I love how you are able to work with people and see their improvements. Glad I was able to read your post!