Physical Therapy Students Volunteer at Touch the Future Hawai'i

Picture left to right: Nicole Carter (’20), Jodie Miyamoto (‘20), Heather Higashi (’19), Kira Hamamura (’20), Bryan Llantero (’20).

Five of our physical therapy students from Hawai’i volunteered for the Touch the Future Hawai’i project. As young students in middle school and high school, many of our graduate students from Hawai’i did not have the opportunity to learn about the broad array of healthcare professions until later in life. For their part of this project, our students created an educational video about the physical therapy profession, spoke with interested students in person and using web conferencing, and provided a presentation. They hope to inspire younger generations to become future healthcare professionals so that one day they can return home and make an impact in their local community.

Touch the Future Hawai’i grew out of a desire to respond to the increasing demand for healthcare professionals in Hawai’i. This project aims to motivate middle and high school level students to attend college, obtain a career in the health professions, and return to serve their communities by working as healthcare professionals in Hawai’i.

With approximately twenty percent of Pacific University undergraduates coming from Hawai’i and a variety of outstanding graduate and professional programs including Athletic Training, Audiology, Dental Hygiene, Healthcare Administration, Occupational Therapy, Optometry, Pharmacy, Physical Therapy, Physician Assistant, Psychology, Social Work, and Speech-Language Pathology, Pacific University is uniquely positioned to help students prepare for meaningful careers that will benefit their communities.

Touch the Future Brochure (pdf)

For more information about this program, please contact:

Katie Parker | Assistant Professor and Experiential Learning Coordinator
503-352-7206 | kparker@pacificu.edu 

Diana Watkins | Associate Director of Graduate and Professional Admissions
teach@pacificu.edu