Hello! My name is Grace Medran. I hail from the small city of Woodland Park nestled in the Colorado Rocky Mountains. Growing up, I spent most of my time out in nature running, hiking, and horseback riding. I was home schooled which instilled in me the love of learning. I discovered my passion for studying the human body early on along with a deep desire to help people achieve wellbeing especially in terms of physical health. Those interests led me to pursue a bachelor’s degree in Health and Exercise Science with a concentration in Health Promotion at Colorado State University in Fort Collins Colorado. I’m currently one year away from completing my undergraduate work and I have plans to apply to graduate programs for physical therapy.
Becoming a physical therapist has been my dream for some time now because I’ve personally experienced the empowerment that physical therapists give people along with treatment. As a student at Colorado State, I’ve gained valuable knowledge within my major for encouraging wellness and fostering healthy habits amongst individuals. While at college this past year, I had the amazing experience of working as a Residence Assistant in the residence hall as my college. I was able to build a small, yet impactful community with 34 freshman. That experience made me realize how much I have to give to my community back home and also how much I have to learn about being a leader. It was transformative, and it left me with the deep desire to pursue more similar experiences this summer.
One of my favorite leisure activities! hammocking!
This internship is the opportunity I’ve been looking for to act on all I’ve learned about health promotion and building community. I look forward to solidifying skills such as leadership, teamwork, and communication so that I can be a part of bringing positive, holistic changes to my rural area. My supervisor for this internship, Jane Enger, summed it up well when she said, “we want you to become a resource for your community.” I wholeheartedly believe in that vision. To me, this internship is an incredible way to gain real-world experience making a concrete difference which is something I want to carry into my career. Part of helping your community is understanding it’s assets and resources as well as areas in which those are lacking. Ogallala Commons truly focuses on developing that knowledge among people which is the other reason I am so excited to be an OC intern; I want to have that understanding going into a career that emphasizes utilizing people’s strengths and assets to bring healing. Drawing on the Commonwealth as well as giving back is part of that. When I’m not studying or hard at work on a project you’ll find me with me hammocking, painting, or climbing mountains.
Hiking Pikes Peak, our local 14-er
