Profiles & testimonials

Hear from students in the College of Health and Human Services about their experiences at NAU

Our student testimonials offer insight into our programs. Our students’ opinions are integral to our success: we use them to guide us in advancing our purpose as they’re earning their degrees in our healthcare programs.

If you would like to see what our alumni say about our programs, please visit our featured alumni page. Whether you’re a current student or an alumnus, we’d love to hear about your time in CHHS at Northern Arizona University. Please take a moment to share your story.

Student profiles

Chloe Strike, Class of 2020

Major: Dental Hygiene

“I am confident that the dental hygiene program will thoroughly set me up for success and I am incredibly excited for the upcoming public health externships and other opportunities this program has available for its students. I expect to be fully prepared for the workforce and hopefully even have a job already lined up after graduation. I know every faculty member promotes compassion, initiative, hard work, and dedication, and only wants their students to flourish and surpass all expectations of a dental hygienist.”

Stephanie Gilboy, Class of 2019

Major: Doctor of Physical Therapy

“My favorite part of the physical therapy program is the collaboration that occurs with my classmates. I am surrounded by 40 of the smartest people I know who are always willing to provide a second opinion on a problem or provide a different way of looking at a situation. It is not just the students who lend to this collaborative environment. The professors are always there to answer questions or ask them when they have an interesting case. I have learned more from my classmates than any textbook…There is nothing else like NAU PT. Between the Flagstaff and Phoenix campuses, we have the best students and the best faculty. They truly prepare us to enter the workforce as competent leaders in physical therapy. It is a family that pushes you to your limits only to make you better.”

“They challenge us so that when we are treating real patients, we know how to handle the difficult situations… The faculty for the Phoenix PT program provide challenges every day that make us better clinicians. They give us the hard questions to work through and figure it out so we know how to think through them in the future. They also provide every opportunity to challenge ourselves outside of the classroom. Service learning is a huge part of our education because it is the best way to get hands-on experience right from the start. You volunteer for difference community outreach events where you see the underserved populations in your community and provide care to the ones who need it most. You learn how to think through and treat complex cases in patients with limited resources.”

Bri Reda, Class of 2019

Major: Doctor of Physical Therapy

“As someone who went to undergrad at NAU and has continued their education in a doctoral program I can certainly say that NAU is preparing me for my future. My undergraduate education got me into their fantastic physical therapy program and the PT program will prepare me to be a great clinician in the future. I would love to have the opportunity to come back and visit as a guest lecturer and help future PT students find their niche in this fantastic practice because I know how much NAU has helped me. I would like nothing more than to give back to their students… As a fairly new student to CHHS, I must say this college has helped me more than I would have thought.”

“I am a member of the Dean’s Student Advisory Council and I meet with our Dean, the assistant Dean, and students from other disciplines to discuss our programs. Being selected for this position has really given me a voice in my program and in this college and I feel like I am heard and therefore I am also to express the concerns or compliments of my peers. I also have so many opportunities due to the physical therapy program to further my education as a future clinician. I attended a national student conference for physical therapy called National Student Conclave in Portland. I am the volunteer coordinator for hippotherapy in the local area. I am a leader of the planning committee for our annual Go BIG for Parkinson’s run. I am the new Core Ambassador for Arizona, and I will be conducting research with the wonderful Mike Lebec this coming year. I also hope to be traveling for conferences and pro bono work during my second year as a PT student. None of these opportunities would have been possible without the support of CHHS and I know how beneficial these experiences will be for me as a future clinician… I think that just being in the PT program and treating/working with patients has allowed me to broaden my horizons and reminds me why this profession is so important. I am really starting to see the world through the eyes of someone whose job is to help people, and that is a truly beautiful lens through which to see the world.”