Meet Breanna

A little about myself:

I'm completely and utterly obsessed with my golden retriever, Dawson! We're the best of friends, and he absolutely makes me whole. We almost lost each other in a severe car accident when he was 6-months-old. After the accident, he was lost for a day. A team of about 20 people, including family members, firefighters, police officers, and kind passerbys endlessly searched for him in the heavily wooded areas surrounding the scene of the accident. But you know what? I was the one that found him. Just me. Or more so, he found me. Or we found each other. Crazy right? We found our way back to each other and reliving that moment gives me so many goosebumps and all kinds of emotions that I can't even put into words. Our connection is so very special - truly like no other. He gets me, I get him, and I couldn't imagine life without that perfect boy by my side.

I am a graduate of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Shenandoah University! For details about my journey, PT school advice, study materials, clinical resources, and more, be sure to visit the ‘PT SCHOOL’ tab!

Volleyball was my first love and is a huge part of my life to this day. I played for 7 years (setter), but I stopped playing competitively after high school. Now, I am coming up on my 14th year of officiating! I started when I was 14 and a freshman in high school and have been doing it ever since. I officiate pretty much all levels - middle school, high school, adult leagues, collegiate, and USA/AAU (club travel teams). This awesome "job" of mine has given me the opportunity to travel to so many amazing places, make connections and lifelong friends with people from all around the world, and continue to be an integral part of the sport that I have always known and loved. 

I'm a lover - I love hard and I feel even harder. I'm very expressive. I'm always excited, and sometimes I talk more with my hands than I do with my own words. I love tight, warm hugs and hearing others' stories. I still cry every time Mufasa dies in The Lion King. The little things like surprise phone calls, discovering that one of my favorite movies just released on Netflix, and finding extra french fries at the bottom of the fast-food bag truly make me the happiest.

I grew up at the beach, and the beach will always hold the most special place in my heart. I could spend countless hours on the beach without it feeling like any time even passed at all. Whether it's summer and I'm in a bikini, or it's winter and I'm cuddled up with a blanket and some hot cocoa watching the waves crash along the shore with Dawson, I'll never get tired of such an extraordinary place. Surprisingly, the location of my PT school sparked my love for the mountains - and I may love them just as much as the beach now. My PT school is located in the Shenandoah Valley right near Shenandoah National Park. So, I spent a lot of my free time hiking and exploring the mountains.

Some of my favorite activities include: crafting DIY projects, making smoothie bowls, finding cute, local coffee shops in new cities, watching Netflix (especially rewatching Grey’s Anatomy for the 1000th time), hiking and exploring new National Parks, watching the sun rise and set, making Spotify playlists, spending quality time with family and friends, and cuddling with Dawson.

I couldn't even give you an estimate of how many pictures I take on a daily basis, but I know it's wayyy too many. I take pictures of any and everything. Food (obviously). Family. Friends. Animals... dogs... lots and lots of pictures of dogs. Flowers. Clouds. Shoot, I'll take a million photos of a single pile of rocks if they catch my eye. I pull over on the interstate just to get a picture of the sunset (well, actually like 30 pictures all at different angles) and risk becoming roadkill, because let's face it… pictures are just way more important. Just kidding… kinda. Sometimes I drive people crazy because I always have to take pictures of any and everything, but I tell 'em to just suck it up. Pictures aren't just pictures to me. They're works of art that evoke so much love, emotion, and beauty in one single frame, and I'm completely in love with being able to capture frozen moments in time. Fun fact: I have 103,741 photos on my iPhone camera roll right now! :) #yeahimpsycho #dontjudge

I’m a self-proclaimed “foodie.” I love getting to use my imagination to come up with tasty, colorful creations. Making smoothie bowls and fancy breakfast dishes are my favorite. I also love trying out local restaurants whenever I travel and sharing about the places that I find.

Everyone always thought I'd graduate high school and go to art school. They always said I had that "eye" for creativity, and couldn't picture me doing anything else for the rest of my life. I went to an undergraduate school with one of the best art programs in the country. However, that's not what I chose to do. When I first started college, my major was undecided and I just couldn't choose what I wanted to do. Before I graduated from high school, I thought pre-med was for me and was considering it because I had always wanted to go into the health field. Time started ticking away and before I knew it, my first year of undergrad was already starting to kick into full-swing. So, I began taking classes for a chemistry major on the pre-med track. I really do love chemistry. However, it just didn't feel right for me. So then for a while, I thought that mass communications was the way to go to fulfill my love for photography, and I interned at my university as a sports photographer. I wasn't satisfied with this either. I knew that I did indeed want to go into the health field because I have such a huge love for what the industry has to offer, but I just didn't know what would suit me best. I have a passion for nourishing my body and becoming stronger each and every day. I played sports my entire life and had many experiences that exposed me to the physical therapy realm of the health field. After a few different tries aiming to figure out what would make me the happiest, I chose to major in exercise science and pursue a career in physical therapy. I want to help others rehabilitate their bodies, improve overall health and strength, and allow them to discover who they truly are as an individual. I know firsthand that it can be hard to find yourself in a world full of people who are telling you what you need to do and who you need to become. I don't think you'll ever fully understand yourself until you can understand your body. I think the way that our bodies work and what they're capable of is simply fascinating, and I continue to fall in love with physical therapy more and more every day.

Thanks for following along on my journey! :)
- Much love, Breanna