When I first chose to attend the State University of New York at Fredonia, the term exercise science was a foreign statement to me. As an incoming freshman, I was unsure about what I wanted to study. The daunting question that continued to come up in conversations; which seemed like hundreds of times a day - what are you majoring in - left me wondering what I really wanted to do once my time at Fredonia concluded. At eighteen, it seems almost impossible to make one decision determining one’s entire career. Initially, I chose to be a business major with the mindset I would find a job and have some kind of a career afterward. But this decision was not where my heart was. I had an interest in the physical therapy field after suffering a major injury myself at the young age of thirteen. After undergoing the rehabilitation process and experiencing the impact one therapist had on my life, I decided to pursue a career where I could help others and improve their lives just as mine had. During my first year, I began to research what studies Fredonia offered to direct me into the physical therapy field. I quickly learned about Exercise Science, which at the time was a small interdisciplinary study for those seeking careers in physical therapy, occupational therapy, athletic training and more. I immediately realized I would not have to transfer, but could continue my education at Fredonia with a major designed to prepare me for my future.
Under the guidance of Dr. Todd Backes, the Exercise Science program coordinator, I was now an Exercise Science major with new goals-the ultimate being acceptance into a graduate physical therapy program. At this time, Exercise Science was also undergoing a transition, becoming a program of study within the growing Biology Department that was moving into the new Science Center. This change allowed me and other students within the program a multitude of new opportunities including participation in undergraduate research. This research was conducted in a lab within the Fredonia Science Complex. The lab housed brand new state of the art equipment including a Biodex System, BOD POD, and sensor based Gait Analysis technology. Additional to undergraduate research, I was afforded the opportunity for an internship and later employment as an aide at North County Spine and Sports, a local physical therapy and chiropractic outpatient practice in Dunkirk, New York. During my time I worked under two physical therapists, Dr. David Root D.C., P.T., and Neil McIntyre P.T., building on the knowledge I had gained within the Fredonia classrooms and relaying it to the application in the field. The year I spent working closely under Dr. Root, solidified my decision to become a physical therapist and better the lives of the patients I have and will work with in my future.
After receiving my Bachelor’s degree from Fredonia, I chose to attend Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, New York. I am currently a first year student in the Doctorate in Physical Therapy program, working towards my goal of becoming a physical therapist. Without the guidance and multiple opportunities I received during my time at Fredonia and within the local community, I would not be in the place I am today. I will forever be grateful to have attended an undergraduate institution with a program dedicated to assisting in each student’s path to success.
Ariel Cox
B.S. in Exercise Science, Class of 2015
Doctorate of Physical Therapy, Stony Brook University, Class of 2018