Julie Ziegler, Class of 2009
Julie Ziegler has dreamt big since first stepping onto the dance floor at the age of three. While the classes she took never led to Broadway or a gig as a Rockette, Ziegler continued to aim high, discovering a passion for the sport of softball and an interest in physical therapy as a professional pursuit.
First attracted to Wittenberg by the intimate campus and welcoming atmosphere, Ziegler quickly learned about the university's state-of-the-art science facility, outstanding biology program, competitive softball team and a dance program open to all students. She also discovered that scholarships were available to make it affordable for her.
Four years later, Ziegler can look back and know that she not only made the best possible college choice, but she also made the most of every opportunity Wittenberg offered. In fact, she defines the Witt Light as "opportunity."
"I've had amazing opportunities," Ziegler said. "My freshman year Professor (of Biology Matt) Collier asked a couple of us if we would be interested in working on a research project with him."
That research project led to others, which led to published extracts, poster presentations at professional meetings and successful grant applications. During the 2008-09 school year, Ziegler made a presentation about her ongoing research projects at the Butler Undergraduate Research Conference and the 118th annual Ohio Academy of Science Conference.
Even as she excelled in the classroom and in the laboratory, earning a cumulative grade point average above 3.7, Ziegler continued to dance in college, participating in Wittenberg's annual fall dance concerts during her collegiate career. In 2008, the self-described goal-oriented perfectionist jumped at the opportunity to choreograph dances for the event.
Along the way, Ziegler's interest in physical therapy was nurtured by volunteer opportunities at the Springfield Physical Therapy Center, where she interned one semester, and at Mercy Medical Center Physical Therapy Department and Advanced Health Physical Rehabilitation. She even discovered her passion for physical therapy was more focused on neurological injuries and disorders following an injury after watching a friend who was paralyzed in an athletic event develop and maintain muscle strength through physical therapy.
A regular on the Dean's List, Ziegler is a member of several honor societies, including the prestigious Phi Beta Kappa. On the playing field, her skills as a first baseman gained notice as well, leading to four varsity letters, team Defensive Player of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2009. She earned second-team All-North Coast Athletic Conference honors in 2008, and she served as team captain in 2009.
"I've experienced the dynamics of being a member of the team and coaching my teammates," Ziegler said. "It has taught me how to both confront and support members of our team."
She has worked as a faculty aide for Collier and as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Biology Lab and Genetics Lab during the 2008-09 academic year.
As if all that wasn't enough, Ziegler participated in a summer field study in the Bahamas, she participated in Journeys of Service Helping Upper Appalachia (JOSHUA) Service Trips in 2003 and 2004, and she was active in her sorority, Chi Omega, and its philanthropic efforts with Make-A-Wish Foundation, among numerous other extracurricular activities. She recently left for the African kingdom of Lesotho with a large Wittenberg traveling party, where she will participate in a variety of service projects.
"The smaller campus has allowed us to be individuals, where people know who we are," Ziegler said. "That's meant a lot to me."
In the fall, she begins the next step toward achieving her career goal as she begins work on her doctorate in physical therapy at the Physical Therapy Graduate Program at Washington University in St. Louis, School of Medicine in Missouri, the No. 1-ranked program in the country.
"I've grown more into myself," Ziegler said. "I have defined my values, and I know who and what are important to me. My hope grows daily of making those who can't, walk. It's amazing to be in a position to help change somebody's life through that 10 percent chance to walk again."
- Written by Phyllis Eberts
- Photo by Erin Pence