回馈，传递

As a biology major with dreams of becoming a physical therapist, Megan Andresen ’98 volunteered to work with people with disabilities in the local community.

By helping people with disabilities, Megan Andresen ’98 helped build her résumé for graduate school.

它工作。 Andresen went on to get her master’s in physical therapy from the University of Iowa and is currently a senior therapist who has been practicing at UnityPoint-St. Luke’s in Cedar Rapids since 2001.

“My favorite part of being a physical therapist is the direct involvement I have as part of a patient’s recovery,” said Andresen. “In today’s health care world, it’s not common to be able to spend quality time with people. 作为一名物理治疗师，我可以帮助客户实现他们的目标，并以新的方式解决问题，让他们做他们想做的事情。”

Andresen’s work

Seth Jackson, 19, who sustained a spinal cord injury in 2009, is one of those patients who has benefited from Andersen’s care. “Megan helped me relearn how to get around in the outside world and more,” Jackson says. “She even taught me how to do wheelies!”

安德森很感激她在芒特慈悲学院接受的教育，她说她觉得自己欠学校很多。 

“They were invested in my future and helped me get to where I wanted to go,” she says.

所以，现在，安德森正在通过为皇冠体育的学生协调类似的志愿者机会来回馈社会。 由于患者只能在保险到期前的一段时间内接受治疗，让学生介入帮助他们继续自己的锻炼对每个人来说都是双赢的。 在过去的八年里，六名皇冠体育学生与杰克逊联系，帮助他进行锻炼计划。

新的关系，同样的希尔

Shelby Sorensen ’18, a senior interested in an occupational therapy career, alters and tweaks Jackson’s exercises as needed, which is something she’ll do as a therapist.

“I enjoy helping Seth, knowing he needs the therapy and it benefits him,” Sorensen says. “He has a great personality and is always willing to work hard for the 30 minutes to an hour I spend with him each week.”

Seth’s mom, Jackie Jackson, says working with 皇冠体育 students has been a wonderful experience.“Any kind of interaction is good for Seth when his world became so small as a result of his paraplegia,” she says. “The students are a real blessing and much appreciated.”

“This has been a great opportunity for Shelby to get some hands-on experience and for Seth to receive a little extra help to do his exercises,” Andersen says.

赛斯对此表示赞同。 “It’s good to have a routine,” he says, “but having Shelby and the students around help motivate me.”

“我喜欢帮助赛斯，知道他需要治疗，这对他有好处。”

索伦森说，通过过去几年帮助赛斯的经历，她对自己有了很多了解，也很喜欢这个领域的工作。

“I love helping people,” she says. “Working in this field will never feel like work because it is so rewarding.”