A Very Relatable Subject

Hi, 

My name is Alexis Harle and I am a Biology major here at JWU. I come from Calgary, Alberta, Canada but ended up all the way on the east coast because I got recruited to play NCAA div III hockey for Johnson & Wales University. The year I came to play was JWU women’s ice hockey’s inaugural season. We had a small team of 9 skaters and 3 goalies, often even less than that due to injuries. I was nominated the first team captain for the program and served as captain for two years. My hockey career came to a sudden end when I sustained my 6^thconcussion while playing a game on home ice at the end of my sophomore year. This was my third major concussion, so the results of the accident were severe. I was taken from the bench, where I collapsed, to the hospital in an ambulance where I then began the process of my long recovery. I had to drop my classes to try to heal and make many other lifestyle changes. For the first three months, I was unable to walk without assistance and needed constant care, for the next 8 months of my concussion, I was unable to complete everyday tasks properly and often needed help. It is now past the year and a half mark of my concussion and I am finally able to go to the gym and be more like myself. While I am still not fully recovered, I am much closer than I have ever been before, and am fortunate to have healed. Some people never get the opportunity to recover from brain-related injuries, so I consider myself extremely lucky. Because of my struggles with my concussions, and the consequences of them, my dream topic is to research ways to improve the quality of life for people who have suffered major, life altering brain injuries. I have worked all summer with brain injury patients and now work at a home for acquired brain injury patients who can no longer take care of themselves on their own. Hearing and seeing their struggles mentally and physically with their injuries is very upsetting. There need to be more ways for people like this to cope emotionally and physically with their injuries. I thoroughly enjoy writing and have done many science-related research papers due to my majors requirements. I will bring a lot of scientific-related research into my paper as well as empathy, which is the original reason I wanted to pursue this subject.