Taeghan Sharpe

"Since being at Iowa State I’ve developed better studying habits. My advice is to just get going on the books early."

-Taeghan Sharpe

Taeghan Sharpe aims to become a physical therapist. When she isn’t busy, she enjoys going on drives, listening to music, and napping.

Taeghan Sharpe adds volunteering, networking, and leadership to her resume for physical therapy school

Taeghan Sharpe chose to pursue a career as a physical therapist (PT) after seeing her grandmother bounce back from surgeries with the help of physical therapy. Seeing the effects of physical therapy first hand helped lead her down that path.

As a kinesiology student at Iowa State University, Taeghan enjoys connecting with other students in her major and gaining hands-on experience through coursework and extracurriculars. She has received helpful information about the physical therapy school application process in her classes. This guidance has provided her with the necessary tools for applying while she maintains an edge on the competition through leadership positions and volunteering.

“I volunteer for McFarland PT,” Taeghan  said. “I think it’s neat to see all the different PTs’ personalities and age ranges. Each one has their own specialty. They’re able to think fast.”

While volunteering gives her insight on the on-the-job tasks of a physical therapist, her involvement in the Pre-Health Conference as an executive member equips her with leadership opportunities. The Pre-Health Conference, hosted at Iowa State, includes a keynote speaker, appearances by health career representatives, and opportunities for students to network with practicing professionals in their medical field of interest. Taeghan got involved at the request of a friend, and is in charge of bringing school representatives, students, and industry professionals together for the conference.

“I’m hoping to make connections and get my name out there to faculty of different schools,” she said. “I’m excited to listen to what they have to say, and get information about admission for different schools.”

Along with building connections with professionals and volunteering, Taeghan also remains very dedicated to her classes. Her favorite class is a human anatomy lab, in which she examines human cadavers and observes dissection demonstrations.

She advises fellow students interested in medicine to shadow, observe, and volunteer as soon as possible.

“Since being at Iowa State I’ve developed better studying habits,” Taeghan said. “My advice is to just get going on the books early; [kinesiology includes] a lot of science classes, and they’re not the easiest. It’s important to have good grades to apply to graduate school because it is competitive. Make sure you start off on the right track.”