Starting my college search, I didn’t know what my future career would be, but I knew it had to involve helping people find happiness. It wasn’t until I found Ithaca College that I heard of therapeutic recreation. Within minutes of researching this major, I knew it was perfect. The courses I took, experiences I gained, and people I met provided an education to be proud of. I now look forward to bringing what I learned back to Vermont where there is great potential for therapeutic recreation.
At Ithaca College I made some lifelong best friends, but I am even more grateful for the relationships I made off campus. I discovered personal strengths, weaknesses, interests, values, and goals while I volunteered and built a network within the Ithaca community. I wouldn’t have been able to work with patients at Cayuga Medical Center, be a part of a quilting club with Longview residents, work with stroke survivors at the Center for Life Skills at Longview, volunteer at the Ithaca Youth Bureau, or present at a professional conference without Ithaca College or therapeutic recreation. Those are the opportunities that I will be forever grateful to have from my college experience.