Four years ago, when Julia Effinger ’23 committed to study at Tiffin University on the premise of playing soccer with a nationally ranked team, she had no idea of the other opportunities her college experience would ultimately afford her. In fact, Julia thrived so much with the Dragon family, that upon graduation in May, she had already accepted an offer of admission from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine’s Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. Julia excelled so much on and off the soccer field, that she was recognized by the School of Science, Technology and Health’s exercise science department with a coveted Flame Award, one of the highest honors a graduating Dragon can receive.
“It was surreal when they called my name,” Julia remembered. “To be recognized for my hard work in front of friends, family and my professors – I was honored and am still incredibly proud of myself for earning the recognition.”
The Excellence in the Field of Study Awards or Flame Awards for short, acknowledge graduates as leaders and innovators in their chosen disciplines. Winners are typically high-achievers with impressive GPAs, plenty of extracurricular activities under their belts and are heavily involved in the community. Julia is, of course, no exception to the trend. After all, it wasn’t luck that got her into one of the top DPT programs in the country.
In Julia’s own words, the education she received from TU played a large part in her readiness for graduate school, and she remembers her time spent on campus fondly.
“Sure, soccer was initially why I chose Tiffin, but I soon realized the school had so much more to offer,” said Julia. “From my first semester on campus, I knew it was the right place for me. The small class sizes, its sense of community – something about it all just felt right. My professors have been nothing but supportive. It was because of the quality of education I received that I felt ready to apply for graduate school before even finishing my undergraduate degree, and several mentors helped me during the process. They were wonderful throughout the whole thing.”
Julia graduated in May with dual majors in exercise science and accounting and finished with two internships completed – one through a family friend’s DPT clinic and another with Marathon Petroleum in Findlay.
“Someday, I do want to own and operate my own practice, so I figured it would be a good idea to learn how that’s done, hence the accounting major. I needed to know more about what it takes to run a business in addition to actually treating patients,” she offered. “I still believe double majoring was the right decision, and my internships were both invaluable. Marathon did so much to show me how a healthy office culture is made and maintained, and getting a behind-the-scenes look into a real DPT office and its administration solidified my belief that this is what I’m meant to do for a career.”
Julia continued this thought, also citing a desire to focus her training on the treatment of athletic-related injuries.
“As an athlete and someone who’s gone through physical therapy myself, sports medicine is something that’s always fascinated me. I think this is what I want to focus on during my graduate work. I see it as a potential way for me to marry my love for sports with my passion for helping others.”
According to Julia, being able to serve the community was the most rewarding part of her internship with the DPT office and asserts that seeing the difference she made in people’s lives was the thing that reassured her when trying to decide whether this was the right career path.
“I remember during my internship, an elderly woman came into the office looking for help increasing her mobility. She told the doctor and I that she wanted to comfortably walk long distances. Her explanation why will stick with me for a long time. She told us that her grandson had just finished treatment for cancer, and that as a celebration, she and her family planned to take him to Disney World. She didn’t want to force her family to push her through the parks in a wheelchair. Well, with our help, she was able to get around all on her own. When she sent the office photos from the trip, it was then I realized that this work goes far beyond just healing injuries. It’s really about achieving goals and fulfilling dreams.”
To learn more about the Tiffin University exercise science program, visit tiffin.edu/academics/school-of-science-tech-health/exercise-science.