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By Salim Ford ’28

Erica��Haefner ’27 is��a Houghton University junior studying pre-physical therapy in the hopes of becoming a pediatric physical therapist. Her aspirations began when she was a junior in high school. She says, “After a lot of injuries and physical therapy sessions, I realized this is something I am really passionate about.” After further research and shadowing opportunities, she��determined��that this is what��she’s��called to do.

Erica’s goals to become a physical therapist align with her faith and her passion for serving others. She��states, “I have a very strong passion for helping people, especially helping them learn more about their own bodies.” She draws from her own experience as a patient attending physical therapy sessions, explaining that “The physicians��and doctors I connected with most were the ones who taught me what was actually going on in a simple way that I could understand.” As a future physical therapist, she hopes to draw on her positive experiences to help her patients understand themselves and��enhance recovery.

Erica names��Anatomy and Physiology,��taught by Dr. Donald Wilcox,��as her favorite class.��She’s��also enjoyed shadowing, which is a core requirement for her major. She enjoys learning through actual experiences. Erica cites Dr. Ransom Poythress, her advisor, as an encouragement to her, along with Dr. Jamie Potter and Dr. Wilcox, with whom she takes��a number of��classes.��She’s��looking forward to taking��Injury and Evaluation��this Spring��semester, and��eagerly��anticipates��entering more major-specific classes as she furthers her studies.

Erica enjoys being a member of the Pre-Health Professions Club, attending campus events, and her role as a teacher’s assistant. “It’s a really good way to connect with people,” Erica shares.

About her goal to become a pediatric physical therapist, Erica says,��“This is what God is calling me��to do.��I need to live that out and do the best that I can do.”����

Erica��Haefner ’27 is��a junior from Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, majoring in exercise science on the graduate track.
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Salim Ford ’28 is a sophomore from Arkport, New York, majoring in English and Writing. He is a member of the��Cross Country��team, the Highlander Chorus and Chamber Choir.��

By Sam Gerardi ’18

I��arrived at��Houghton University��in��2014��and like many young adults, I��was��confident that I knew��precisely��what I wanted to do. I��planned to��major in��communication and focus on videography and photography. That plan��didn’t��last long. I found myself drawn to��biochemistry, a field��that fit how I was wired.��I’ve��always wanted to��integrate��science and faith in a way that allowed��me to love people well, and Houghton became the place where that desire��took��shape.

What made Houghton so formative was not that it told me what to think, but that it taught me how to think. I can distinctly remember asking my chemistry professor, Dr. John Rowley ’03, for help during an experiment. He responded, “No, you figure it out.” Dr. Rowley and many of my professors understood that true learning happens at the interface between what you know and what you don’t. That approach cultivated my curiosity and desire for discovery rather than just memorization. I entered uncertain of my path and left still discerning what God was calling me toward, but with the tools, confidence, and spiritual grounding to navigate that journey.

Completing my��biochemistry degree at ������ also fulfilled my pre-pharmacy prerequisites, and I��wouldn’t��have wanted to prepare anywhere else. The academic rigor and community-built study habits, critical thinking, and perseverance that carried me through graduate school, residency, and now my work��at Buffalo General Medical Center as an Emergency Medicine Clinical Pharmacist.����I learned to take ownership of my learning, stay motivated, and value collaboration.

I still rely on the habits and mindset Houghton fostered��to think��critically, evaluate��data, and apply knowledge��that knowledge to my patients. To serve Christ well is to serve others well, and Houghton gave me the foundation to do exactly that.

Sam��Gerardi��’18 completed a��bachelor’s of science��in biochemistry with a pre-pharmacy concentration. He completed his��D.Pharm. at��D’Youville��University in 2023, and his residency at Kaleida Health in Buffalo, New York, in 2025. IN addition to his role as an emergency medicine clinical pharmacists at Buffalo General Medical Center, he is the area director for the Christian Medical & Dental Associations (CMDA).��