Laura M. Siviter

I think I'm a hard worker, but more than that, it's about surrounding yourself with the right people, with good mentors, and people that can keep driving you forward. They say you're an essence of your five closest friends, and I think it's similar in the work environment as well. You need people that challenge you, that push you, and then it continues to move down to the next person. So really, it's about finding yourself with the right people - your tribe, people that give you different perspectives and can give you good criticism in order to grow.

I think you should always follow what you're passionate about. If you're passionate about something, then you'll always enjoy doing it, and your passion exudes and shines through you to those around you, whether it's your mentees or your students. There are so many different realms in physical therapy, so it's about finding which realm fits you and helping students find what part of physical therapy fits them. Don't be afraid to chase your dreams, no matter how long it's going to take you to get there or how much it's going to cost to get there. Some people think physical therapy is 7 years of education - that's a long time, and it's expensive. My education was $100,000 on top of my bachelor's degree. Those are factors that people consider when choosing a career, but I think those factors need to be put aside. If you want to follow what you want to do, it doesn't matter if it's going to take you longer or cost more, because those things become negligible over time. You should do what you want to do and chase your dreams.

I'm involved in hybrid education, which has been a big shift in education, especially in physical therapy being such a hands-on field. The challenge is balancing the advocacy of different expertise in this new realm - it's about doing a good job producing and teaching good physical therapists in a new educational format.

Passion is most important to me - I only get involved in things that I enjoy doing. The research I do, I only participate in research that I enjoy. My projects and community service, like being a clinical director with the Special Olympics, are all things that I enjoy and I'm passionate about. When you wear multiple hats, if it's things that you enjoy doing, it's easier to juggle. Staying organized helps, but again, it's about getting involved in things that you enjoy doing. I believe in following what you're passionate about because if you're passionate about something, you'll always enjoy doing it.