Monica Mathis (DPT '20)
It seems like Monica Mathis (DPT ‘20) is always moving. That’s not exactly unexpected for a physical therapy graduate student, but with Mathis, if you blink, she might already be on to her next commitment. In the five and a half years she’s been at TWU, Mathis hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down – from her first year as a shy, soft-spoken undergraduate kinesiology major to the outgoing, confident student in the physical therapy graduate program she is today.
“From the moment I stepped on campus, it was home,” she says of her experience at Pioneer Preview Day – a recruiting event for prospective students – in 2013. “I felt like I belonged here.” That comfort with life on campus helped Mathis pursue opportunities that became available to her at Texas Woman’s – first as an Honors Scholar, and then as a Terry Scholar.
TWU has helped shape me into the person I am today with every little event and opportunity. I wouldn’t change my experience for anything. Once a Pioneer, always a Pioneer!
She took advantage of the speaking opportunities she had as a scholar, and as she gained more experience, she began to realize that she could use her voice to help other students as a member of the TWU Board of Regents. She was named a student regent by Gov. Greg Abbott in 2016. “The support and resources I had as a TWU student and in the scholar programs gave me a stronger belief in myself and my leadership abilities,” Mathis says.
A degree in physical therapy wasn’t always in Mathis’ plan for the future. Growing up, she wanted to pursue a career as a veterinarian. But after volunteering at a clinic in high school, she felt that something was missing. It was only after injuring her own knee in track that she found her true calling – physical therapy. “While I was there, something clicked,” Mathis recalls. “I realized the thing that was missing was making connections with people and helping them return to their lives.”
The support and resources I had as a TWU student and in the scholar programs gave me a stronger belief in myself and my leadership abilities.
Media Contact
Staff Reporter
940-898-3456
Page last updated 9:08 AM, October 1, 2019