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People Profiles
Stephen Goldrick
- Hometown: Silverdale, WA
- Major: Exercise and Sport Science/Pre-Physical Therapy
Why Western?
My older brother, Brian, graduated from Western and I loved the campus when I visited him throughout high school. I attended class with him regularly and was impressed with the classroom sizes and availability of professors for help during office hours. As an example of this intimate academic setting, I took a class my freshman year through the Sociology Department, and the professor for this class still recognizes me and says hello to me four years later as a senior. That is pretty hard to find at most universities.
Professors that Care
All my Exercise Science professors have all taken time to help me with acquiring internships, letters of recommendation for jobs, scholarships, awards, etc. Some faculty would take the time to ask me what my future goals were and share advice from their own educational aspirations with me. This goes to show how supportive the faculty is of their student's success outside of the university.
Hands-on Research
As a senior, I was granted the opportunity to help out with data collection for a study within my department on Type 2 diabetes as it pertains to exercise intervention. This was a great preparation for the sort of research that is required at the graduate level and fueled my desire to pursue doctoral study in rehabilitation medicine.
My internship with Bellingham Physical Therapy was extremely valuable, and great preparation for my future career. The physical therapists would quiz me on anatomy when they were working with patients, and ask me why I thought they made certain diagnoses. It was nice to be quizzed on the information that I was learning in school and it was a great was to stay fresh on the material and see how it was going to apply to my career.
Preparation for the Future
Having the opportunity to participate in research as an undergraduate and working as a lab T.A. have been my most positive and significant experiences at Western. Both of these experiences have done a lot to prepare me for graduate school, and these are two experiences that would likely be unavailable to me had I gone to a larger school.
Outside the Classroom
I love to exercise, go hiking with friends, fish and play golf with my father and brother, and spend time with my family.
A Proud Moment
My favorite memory of college was being awarded the President's Scholar honor for the college of Humanities and Social Sciences for my graduating class. It was rewarding to know that others see how passionate I am about being a clinician and researcher and how much I want to improve the lives of others.
Life in Bellingham
Bellingham is unique in its vast amount of outdoor activities including hiking, fishing, camping, skiing, trail running, mountain biking, golfing, sailing, rowing, etc. I also enjoy visiting the family-owned businesses and restaurants of Fairhaven and downtown Bellingham for their unique design, merchandise, and food.
After Graduation
I will be pursuing a clinical doctorate degree in Physical Therapy from Eastern Washington University. After that, I would like to pursue a PhD in Neuroscience and study and treat brain tumor pathology and recovery in children.