Cat Wrzesien, Senior Pre-Physical Therapy Major from Warsaw, Indiana

“Why did you decide to attend Manchester?”
“Initially the reason I visited was because it was close to where I live and I didn’t want to go very far away. But then I came to Manchester, I actually came three times because two of my best friends wanted to visit, but they all came at different times, so we all came three times. Everybody was just so nice, and each time that I came the people in this office remembered me, and I was like ‘Dang, this is crazy.’ I was just so shocked that people remembered me. I was also really excited about the triple guarantee where they help you get into grad school or the career of your choice, and knowing that I have to go to grad school and that help was available was really nice.”

“Why did you decide to study exercise science/pre-physical therapy?”
“It’s kind of like a forever thing that I wanted to do. I’ve known since middle school that I wanted to be a physical therapist. Personally, I was delayed in mobility in sixth grade because I had a lot of knee problems and it just progressed from there. I know what it’s like to be impacted physically to where you can’t do daily activities, and I also know what it is to then recover and be able to do it again, and it’s just a wonderful feeling and I want other people to feel that way, too.”

“Do you have any idea of what type of physical therapist you want to be?”
“It’s been an abstract idea in my brain to be a traveling physical therapist. When I was in physical therapy, a couple of my therapists were travelers, and they would basically give their name and information to this overarching company, and they would be like, ‘This place in Arizona needs somebody to fill in for six months,’ so you go there. And then, ‘Oh this place in Cali,’ so you go there for six months.”

“What has been your favorite class at Manchester?”
“’Anatomy’ with Dr. Huntington. Every time I say that people are like, ‘You liked that class?’ and I really did. I loved Dr. Huntington and just learning the things in the anatomy was really fascinating. It was more than just learning where each part of the body is, connects, what’s it called, and all that, but the way he lectures, he made it important. It wasn’t just, ‘Here’s the facts. Know them for the test.’ I took it last year, fall semester, and I still remember all of it. It stuck with me, so it was really fun to take his class.”

“What are you involved in on campus?”
“I have three jobs on campus. I work in Haist Commons, here in the Admissions Office, and I’m also the head photographer for Aurora Yearbook, which is really fun. I really like working for the yearbook. I’m also in STAT, which is Students Today Alumni Tomorrow, and I’m looking into joining the Swim Club. We’ll see about that. STAT is really fun; it’s a lot of fun to work with alumni and hear their stories of Manchester.”

“What are you hobbies and interests?”
“Just anything being outside, really. I really like to read even though I don’t have much time to do it. I also really like to get my friends to go on bike rides or runs or walks with me, because I really like being physically active, but I also want to spend time with them.”

“What is something that most people don’t know about you?”
“I kind of want to say my natural hair color.”