BS '03
I wanted to major in biology, and I researched that CCNY had a strong science program. I thought I wanted to be a physician, and I figured out being in that environment was not what I wanted. I was able to explore other medical healthcare roles after college. I didn't know that I wanted to be a physical therapist until a year after I graduated. CCNY helped me decide to not become a physician. I'm a doctor of physical therapy, and I'm also a certified cardiopulmonary physical therapist. I did a residency at the Veteran Affairs in Ann Arbor, Michigan, to get the CCS initials after my name. What stood out in my head was September 11th, because I was in class on campus when that happened. I had an organic chemistry lab class at 8:00. I was there really early for the lab. On that specific day my sister, who lived with me in New York, was supposed to fly back from California. I remember we were in groups or pairs to do the experiments. The people got distracted and had gone out in the hallway. We were on one of the higher-level floors. There was a teacher's office whose door was open so we could see South and those plumes of smoke. We were at 138 Street and, clearly, we could see the large cloud of smoke. We all ended up leaving the classroom and were like, 'What's going on?' I went to the student union area and, normally, there's a big television and some lounge chairs. It was packed with people standing on chairs and trying to watch the TV. I got on a payphone to call some of my family members and find out things that were going on. I stayed at school for a long time as the subways weren't really running. I eventually made it home and surprisingly, I didn't have any trouble on the subway. When people ask me, 'Where were you that day?' I answered, 'I was at school in organic chemistry trying to do an experiment.'