Introduction

Welcome to my blog. Because it’s still the beginning of the semester, I’m going to start with my name, hometown, and major. My name is Casey Aikman and I chose to go to North Central because of the location, community, wrestling program, and academic opportunities.

I’m from Ukiah, a small town in northern California, also known as U-town. Ukiah is about 3 hours north of San Francisco and 1 hour away from Fort Bragg, the nearest coast. There are nice beaches, but it’s always cold and covered in fog, even in the summer. If you want to swim, it’s better to go to a lake. Although, only the deepest lakes are left because the rest dry up every year. Ukiah is in its own valley so there’s a mountain range surrounding it in every direction. This means good views, but it also means steep, winding roads and spending a lot of gas which is already more expensive than it is in any other state. Ukiah is also part of the redwood empire. I have a redwood tree in my backyard and the state park is only 30 minutes away. Redwoods can grow up to 300ft tall, and only grow naturally in northern California and Southern Oregon.

I’m majoring in Exercise Science and following the Pre-Physical Therapy program. After graduating with my bachelor’s degree, I plan on getting my masters, while hopefully coaching as a graduate assistant wrestling coach. After that, I’ll probably go on to physical therapy school. Since my sophomore year of high school, I’ve had 4 knee surgeries and 3 of those have taken place in the last year. I’ll be wrestling again soon because of the guidance and support I’ve had from my physical therapist and athletic trainer. I’ve always been interested in biomechanics and exercise science, but the impact my physical therapist had on my recovery has motivated me to have the same impact on others in my situation.