For my first professional development at Longwood University, I performed research for a course I was taking, KINS 488 (Exercise Interventions in Special Populations), in the form of a Cormier Honors College for Citizen Scholars Enhancement. Through this research, I read the perspective of a Parkinson’s Disease patient, Gerry Hill, who described his journey with the condition and the ways he learned to cope with and mentally overcome the disease. Along with reading, I also performed research on the benefits of exercise for treating Parkinson’s Disease, which include increasing levels of several neurotransmitters along with muscular function often inhibited by Parkinson’s Disease. Following this, putting my knowledge on the mental and physical strategies used to counteract the effects of PD, I proposed exercise as a form of treatment for the disease. I also proposed increasing PD patient presence in physical therapy along with providing information and resources to them to help counteract the degenerative disease.

In hindsight of the 2022 Spring Student Showcase, I had a lot of fun presenting to my peers and having the opportunity to see many of them present as well. I think the student showcases are a great opportunity for students to share their passions through research and practice along with preparing themselves to become professionals in whichever career paths they choose. I look forward to participating in more student showcases as I approach my final semesters at Longwood University!