My Story
Katelyn Brown
Welcome to My Story!
Who Am I?
Hi! My name is Katelyn and I come from a really small town called Moores Hill in Southern Indiana. At IUPUI, I plan on graduating with an exercise science degree. I then plan on furthering my education by getting my doctorate in occupational therapy. I have loved the experiences a big city has taught me so far, and I cannot wait to make more memories! The biggest thing that has shaped me into who I am today was getting injured and going to physical therapy. If it was not for this experience, I would have never found out about occupational therapy and would have never had this dream I now have. Another experience that has shaped me has been my mom. My mom is such a strong and independent woman and it has made me strive to be the best person I can be for myself.
Major
Exercise Science
There are a majority of reasons why I chose exercise science as my major. The main reason is because it is an amazing degree to help prep me for graduate school. I also love how versatile it is in case I decide to change what I want to do with the degree. I have known since middle school that I would need a career where I am not sitting down all the time. I have to be up and moving around. I have led a very active lifestyle throughout my high school and I plan on continuing it into my career. There are many steps I have taken in order to reach my goal of graduating a year early with a 4.0GPA. The biggest thing I have done is remain disciplined throughout my undergraduate experience. One thing that helped me do this was keeping my eye on the prize. That prize being occupational therapy. Knowing how much I want to become an occupational therapist how allowed me to do everything I can to make this dream a reality.
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Training Philosophy: I like to be really organized and I show motivation by using words of affirmation. I do this by saying things like, "Good Job" or "Look how far you have come already." I also tend to high five people a lot, which I have tried to refrain from because of Covid. Whever I am doing something that I show a particular interest in, I always give it all of my attention.
Personal Background
I am a very outgoing person. Anyone who knows me knows that I love to talk. I strive for the best, and will not stop unless I achieve the goals that I set for myself. I am a very competitive person, but I also understand the importance of collaboration. I live a very active lifestyle. I played soccer, cross country, and basketball through high school; as well as being a part of the marching band. My parents have helped shape me into the person I am today which is why one of my life goals is to make them proud.
Major Influences On My Life
Special Olympics
Special Olympics was the best thing that I have ever volunteered to do. I was paired up with a special needs kid and got to do exercises with him, and at the end of the year we got to play a basketball game during the half-time show of a high school basketball game. This experience was really meaningful to me because it was one of the things that made me realize that I wanted to become an occupational therapist. The kids that I worked with made me realize that I should never give up on a dream no matter how hard it may be to achieve it.
Activities Motor Clinic
This program has been eye opening for me in watching people grow through the challanges they are facing. This clinic was designed for children with disabilities to have a chance to get physically active. This experience taught me how I should always put a person first before their disability. The kids that I got to work with never complained about their disability, and they never let it get in their way or put them down. I think everyone could learn a lot from these kids.
Camp Brosius
This experience allowed me to grow more into a leader and to become more confident in the things I am good at. The biggest thing this experience taught me was how to put more trust into the people around me. My top 5 strengths are: Communication, Competition, Disipline, Focus, and Woo. My personal leadership style is to be as inclusive as possible. I really enjoy hearing what everyone's input is about a certain problem because it allows us to put ideas together to solve a problem. I really enjoy being a leader in the group and really thrive on people asking me questions and advice.
InShape
During InShape I had the opportunity to help my client with 3 goals: lose weight, increase strength, and build tone. I tailored exercises to the things that she liked and met with her twice a week to train with her. I learned so many things from this experience. I learned that I have the ability to make a change in someone's life. It taught me that I have enough confidence in myself to succeed in life. 1 example of this was when my client met all of the goals that we set at the beginning of the program. I was really unsure of myself and did not think that I would be able to make that difference, but it turns out that I am very capable of doing it. Another time was when my client got injured and I had to get really creative with the workouts I did. This proved to myself that I am capable of thinking outside the box.
I would say this experience was: challenging, innovative, heartwarming, interactive, appreciative, and fun. These 6 words wrap up what this experience was like for me because I was able to learn a lot of things and was able to grow as a person, all while having fun.
