Classmates, roommates and teammates pursue post-graduate studies at Medical University of South Carolina
June 2, 2021
Maryville College graduates Spencer Ann Mitchell ’21 and Lindsey Lewallen ’21 excelled in their studies and on the soccer field during their time at the College. Both recently began their post-graduate studies at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C., and both credit Maryville College with making this next step toward their chosen careers possible.
Mitchell, a neuroscience and exercise science double major from Columbia, S.C., is pursuing a Doctor of Physical Therapy degree at MUSC.
“This ties into my long-term career goals as I want to become a practicing physical therapist,” she said. She is interested in neurologic physical therapy and is looking forward to exploring that and other related areas.
Lewallen, an exercise science major from Clarkesville, Ga., is pursuing a doctorate in occupational therapy with plans to become an occupational therapist who works with patients in the clinic but is also heavily involved in occupational therapy-related research.
The students were recognized during Maryville College’s 2021 Academic Awards Ceremony. Mitchell received the Neuroscience Award, which acknowledges a senior neuroscience major with the best academic performance in neuroscience as judged by classroom performance, overall scholarship and grade point average. Lewallen received the Health Sciences & Outdoor Studies Outstanding Senior Award. This award recognizes a graduating senior in Health Sciences & Outdoor Studies who has at least a 3.5 GPA, serves as role model in the classroom and community and is involved in professional organizations.
Using PT to treat concussions
Mitchell’s Senior Study was titled “Relationship between concussion history and reaction time in collegiate athletes.”
She said she became interested in the topic through personal experience, and she learned that using physical therapy to treat concussions is a relatively new area of research.
“For my Senior Study, my participants completed a survey about their concussion history and then completed a reaction time experiment,” Mitchell explained. “I used the survey data to compare reaction time between athletes at MC who had a concussion history and those that did not. I did not find any significant statistical differences for reaction time between the two groups, however, I hypothesized that this was due to a large time period between my participants’ last concussions and when they participated in my study. This is not a negative result because it tells us that reaction time can return to normal levels within a two-year period after injury.”
Mitchell said her Senior Study also spurred future interests for her, and she now wants to research how reaction time changes over the course of recovering from a concussion. She said that presenting her Senior Study and being able to talk about her research was helpful when she was applying to graduate school, because she had a unique research experience on her resume.
“Not every applicant gets to experience the full research process, so I thought that helped me to stand out during applications,” she said. “In both the application process and starting my physical therapy program, I have felt really prepared and confident. Specifically, my comprehensive exams at MC were structured a lot like my PT interviews. I also got a lot out of interning at a PT clinic as my Significant Practical Experience.”
Reducing food insecurity through occupational therapy
Lewallen’s Senior Study at MC was aimed to determine if occupational therapy can be used to reduce food insecurity in older adults.
“Older adults who have a functional impairment, for instance hemiparesis from a stroke or a wrist fracture, can struggle in performing activities critical to accessing and securing foods, such as trouble grocery shopping or self-feeding,” she said. “This inability to access and secure foods ultimately results in food insecurity and malnutrition. I witnessed this interning with various occupational therapists and saw that this issue was not being addressed. So, when it came time to pick a topic for my Senior Study, I knew this is what I wanted to do.”
She collaborated with three occupational therapists who delivered an intervention to their patients that she designed to combat food insecurity due to functional impairment.
“This was the first experimental study ever to address this topic, and it was the coolest and most rewarding thing I have ever done,” Lewallen said. “It was amazing to be able to help others and it also aided in my acceptances to graduate schools. It was very helpful to highlight that I was conducting undergraduate research, and with a large faculty-student grant, in my applications and interviews. I was fortunate enough to be accepted into all eight schools I applied to and even a top 10 program in the nation, and I am certain my Senior Study had a large impact on this success. I plan to continue this type of research as a graduate student and future occupational therapist because it has been so enjoyable and is needed in the field.”
“Best decision”
Mitchell said, “I was most heavily involved with soccer during my time at MC. I was a goalkeeper and absolutely loved my time on the team and all of the relationships I established. I was also an Academic Mentor, leading group studies and working in the Cooper Success Center to help my classmates and other athletes excel in their studies.
“I really enjoyed my time at MC and thought that both my exercise science and neuroscience programs, along with the opportunity I had to play soccer, were really influential in my growth as a student and in my personal life.”
Like Mitchell, Lewallen is grateful for the opportunities she found at Maryville College.
“My potential as a student was recognized, and I was inspired to pursue a doctorate degree,” she said. “I was provided with an amazing education and given opportunities to learn through research, volunteer work and internships to help me achieve this dream.
“My experiences at Maryville College with other students, professors, and in classes expanded my ability to connect with others, broadened my thinking and showed me the importance of doing good for others. This is something that has made me a better person and better future occupational therapist.”
She said Maryville College provides an atmosphere and community that is supportive and encouraging for students.
“The community at Maryville College is unlike any other—every person you walk past on campus greets you, the professors are your greatest advocates and supporters, and every student becomes your best friend,” she said. “I got into my dream graduate school because of Maryville College and get to pursue what I love. I had the most amazing four years at Maryville College and will always say attending Maryville College was the best decision I ever made.”
Committed to excellence
Dr. Jeremy Steeves, associate professor of exercise science at MC, describes the students as “engaged, passionate and focused” in the classroom, on the sports field and in the community.
“They were eager to add to discussions and volunteer for class activities,” he said. “In my ‘Research Methods’ class, both students took advantage of the opportunity to lay a solid foundation for their Senior Study project topics. They showed great foresight by strategically selecting Senior Study topics that they were passionate about, and that would serve as a springboard towards their desired careers and that were sure to provide valuable experiences for them to reflect upon during their graduate school applications and interviews. Specifically, they both opted to pursue projects that involved experimental design and primary data collection, which they both applied for and received college funding to conduct. Both Spencer Ann and Lindsey were ahead of the game and applied for early admittance to several graduate programs during the summer before they even started their senior year, and both had their choice of accepting admittance to several highly competitive schools.”
He added that the two have excellent time-management skills, as demonstrated by their ability to be top students and complete demanding senior studies as well as being members of the Maryville College soccer team.
“It’s been fun working with and getting to know these two ladies over the past four years, and it’s always a highlight to see students set their mind on a goal, put in the work required to make it reality, and watch the doors of opportunity open for them.
“Lindsey and Spencer Ann enriched and served the campus community well during their time with us, and I’m sure they will represent Maryville well as they continue to follow their passion for helping others—and in the words of (Maryville College founder) Isaac Anderson, continue ‘doing good on the largest possible scale.’”
Story written by Linda Braden Albert for Maryville College