Anna Willoughby '16 Recruiting Profile

My plan, as of now, is to become a physical therapist. I have always had an affinity towards healthcare, an affinity that extends back even into my elementary school years. I was injured in 2014, and had to have surgery on my right shoulder. The surgery was not the hardest obstacle, however. The true challenge for me was the waiting involved. I was frustrated when my team started to practice and I was unable to participate. I was also going through physical therapy, and, while I was irritated by my temporary disability at the time, I am now extremely thankful for the time and dedication that my therapist took. He re-established the function of my shoulder while simultaneously maintaining a positive attitude regarding my progress. He did not know the true impact that he had on me, and he would receive any extra payment for the extra mile that he went to help me on an emotional level. I want to have that same impact on athletes like myself, because I now know what it feels like to be on the patient's end of the spectrum. It is this drive that I feel will mold and shape my character as I age and mature; it is the work ethic and outlook that I observed from my therapist that I plan to both imitate and surpass. Softball has been my passion for almost a decade now, and I still experience the same excitement in every game that I felt in the very first game that I played. I feel that my love for the game can serve as a testament of my candidacy as an athlete; the game is not simply a potential scholarship for me, but rather the continuation of a major element in my life. In terms of my academic performance, I have a strong goal for my life. I hold myself to a very high standard. I will work hard to accomplish my goal by any means necessary, while also upholding the standards of honesty that I created for myself long ago. I will become a physical therapist, and I will do so honestly. The conviction that I feel regarding the knowledge necessary to my future career, the conviction that I feel towards heal those athletes that will be in the same position that I was once in, is what I feel makes me unique. I have an individual drive to accomplish my goals, not simply a goal set by others. That is something that I am proud of.