What is your job title/role at Scottish Rite for Children?
I work as a clinical athletic trainer on one of the surgical teams at the Frisco location. 

What do you do on a daily basis or what sort of duties do you have at work?
I am responsible for postoperative physical therapy protocols, suture removal, fitting patients for splints and braces, assigning research questionnaires, providing home exercise programs for various injuries and coordinating care for patients and their families. I also assist our non-operative sports medicine physicians by conducting concussion testing.

What was your first job? What path did you take to get here or what led you to Scottish Rite? How long have you worked here? 
When I was in high school, I worked at Braum’s. My journey to Scottish Rite began when I became my middle school’s wrestling team manager. Our coach hated dealing with nose bleeds, so I started helping. In wrestling matches, there is a set amount of time to deal with blood, and I loved the rush of trying to get everything taken care of in time. I am from Oklahoma, and wrestling is a big sport there! 

I went on to Oklahoma State (GO POKES!) for undergrad, followed by my graduate work at East Central University. After working a couple of years at the D2 level, I moved on to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville. There I worked a split position with clinic in the mornings and outreach to a high school in the afternoons/evenings. After the variety of different experiences, I knew I wanted to work full-time in a clinical setting. North Texas is the place to be for sports medicine, plus it was closer to home, so I took a leap of faith and applied. I started in June 2021, and I am thrilled to be here and working with such a wonderful team!  

What do you enjoy most about Scottish Rite?
The culture here is absolutely phenomenal. We really work as a team and love caring for the kids. My surgeon teammates challenge me and help me grow as a professional. We support one another and work together to provide the best experience for all our patients and their families. 

Tell us something about your job that others might not already know.
Athletic trainers are the true chameleons of the sports medicine world. We have a unique experience of being in the trenches every day. The combination of being on the field with student athletes and coaches as well as our medical knowledge is valuable in a clinic setting. I love being a liaison between the clinic and the sports field because this allows me to utilize my wide variety of skills! 

Where is the most interesting place you’ve been? 
In college, I went to Quito, Ecuador, to help with a conference for South American missionaries. We had a blast going to the equator, and while we were there, the Ecuadorian national soccer team won the South American championship, so we got to celebrate with the locals!

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?
My favorite sport to watch is wrestling. Like I mentioned, wrestling is a big deal, and it is the thing to do during the winter months. I feel like it is one of the most underrated and undervalued sports, simply because most people don’t understand it. Going to the duals in college vs Iowa or Oklahoma or to the NCAA championships are some of my favorite memories. My favorite sport to play is golf or just running, even though I’m not that great at either one. The rest of my life is loud, so I enjoy the peace and quiet those sports offer.

What’s one fun fact about yourself?
I naturally drive with both feet! My dad taught me how to drive on a 1949 Model A Ford tractor, and it had pedals on both sides of the seat, so you had to use both feet to drive it. When I took drivers ed, I had to try really hard to only use my right foot so I would pass the class. One day I almost crashed because I got confused and hit the gas instead of the brake. From that day on my teacher let me drive with both feet!