Abigail Walker
INTRODUCING ABIGAIL WALKER
Table of Contents
Home
This section includes general information about myself, my experiences, and my career path.
Honors
This section includes all of the courses I have taken for honors credit and what I did to make them qualify. It also contains reflections about my growth over the years.
LHSI
This is a page dedicated to my Life Health Science Internship for which I did significant ePortfolio development centered around my research experience.
Travel
This page includes some details about my travel experiences and how they have impacted me.
LEARN ABOUT ME
My name is Abigial Walker, but I usually go by Abi. I am a senior at Indiana University Indianapolis (IUI) with a major in Exercise Science on a pre-physical therapy track. I grew up in LaPorte, Indiana, a fairly small community, and have attended relatively small schools for most of my life until I began college. In college, I have been able to find my passion and work towards it in more ways than I could've imagined before starting here. Some of the most impactful experiences I have been a part of are my volunteer work on campus, my work in a physical therapy clinic, my role in undergraduate research, and my interactions with a lot of incredible peers and faculty.
​
I am a dedicated learner with a goal to excel in my career. I am ambitious, motivated, and competitive, and aim to do my best every day.
Student Activities and the Impact
As a student at IUI, I've had a large variety of opportunities. Through these experiences, I've learned a lot about myself. My first semester I learned that going to school can be a lot more than just taking classes. Classes still come first of course, but there are so many more learning experiences available, especially in a place like Indianapolis.
Some of my volunteer opportunities have allowed me to use my strengths in problem solving and communication, while building on weaknesses like time-management. They have been great learning and growing experiences so far, and I look forward to continuing my volunteering and other activities as I earn my degree and continue in graduate school.
"A piece of advice I would give myself and anyone else, is to go out of your comfort zone. It may be hard in the moment, but some of the best experiences of my life have been a little bit scary to start out with."
Adapted Movement Programs
Starting my freshman year, I had the opportunity to volunteer for the Adapted Movement Program's Motor Activity Clinic (MAC). I heard about this volunteer opportunity in one of my classes, and immediately sent an email to see if I could participate. Being involved in this clinic has been a huge experience for me and solidified that I do indeed want to be a physical therapist. Thinking of different ways to work with my clients that would be effective yet engaging allowed me to use critical thinking skills and see a whole other aspect of physical therapy that I may even want to pursue. I've volunteered for four semesters now with the MAC and each time I have learned something new. I also have volunteered for three semesters for the Ability Fitness Clinic, which is a similar program for adults, and have learned even more from it. My experience here has especially helped me with skills for my capstone internship such as adaptability and problem solving on the spot.
GOAL University
GOAL University, or Get Onboard Active Living, is a program that provides health and wellness education to children in their afterschool YMCA program. I decided to volunteer for this program because it aligns with my passion for helping others with their wellbeing, and there's not many better ways to do this than educate children. Preventing unhealthy habits from forming is one of the strongest influences of overall health and being a part of that is a great experience, both for myself and the kids. This experience was also helpful in developing public speaking skills and teamwork.
Research
I learned at the beginning of my freshman year that undergraduate research was an option and heard a lot about it through one of my professors who is the coordinator of that program. I decided it was something I was interested in doing, so I volunteered to be a participant in a research study on tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) and its impact on learning of fine motor skills with coordination between both hands. The process and question were both fascinating to me, so I decided that I wanted to get more involved with research in the future and have volunteered for a couple of studies since. All of the experiences I've had with research so far have taught me that being curious can be a great thing, especially when there is a passion for the topic. I have since become more involved in research through my Life Health Sciences Internship and hope to continue this type of work through graduate school.
“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”