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| Lori Monigold, a 2017 graduate of Southwestern Community College’s physical therapist assistant program, earned a perfect score on the National Board Physical Therapy Examination. |
From a young age, Lori Monigold of Weaverville knew she wanted to work in health care.
She started on that journey in high school with the allied health program, which opened her eyes to the reality of clinical rotations that dealt with very sick patients and heartbreaking situations.
The emotional toll the pediatric rotations took on Monigold, plus not finding the right fit in any of the other clinical areas, led her to become a licensed cosmetologist before enrolling at Southwestern Community College 10 years later to become a physical therapist assistant.
By the time she was done, she not only earned a degree – she made history.
“After long and thoughtful consideration, I decided that physical therapy was the perfect fit for me,” said Monigold. “I developed an extreme interest in my health in my early 20s, and movement had such an incredible impact on my life that it engraved a passion in me to want to help others to be able to return to and go beyond the level of movement they had prior to their injury.”
That decision brought her to SCC’s physical therapist assistant program, led by coordinator Dr. Diane Page.
“Lori was a very dedicated, dependable, and committed student while in the PTA program,” said Page. “She was on campus early every day and could be found studying, completing assignments and was known for her copious notes from reading assignments and class notes. She is a very research-oriented person and utilized all material at her disposal to get information needed for assignments.”
Monigold became a mother in between her first two semesters and seriously questioned continuing with the program, but she prayed hard about her decision and persevered with the support of her instructors, classmates and family. She went on to graduate summa cum laude in the spring of 2017.
“From my very first visit to SCC to meet with Dr. Page and discuss the program, I felt welcome,” said Monigold. “The staff is incredibly friendly and willing to help in any way possible to make sure their students succeed. I am eternally grateful for the opportunity to have graduated from such a wonderful school.”
When it came time for Monigold to take the National Physical Therapy Examination (NPTE), Page had no doubt she would do well.
“Lori took full advantage of the preparatory material provided to prepare for the NPTE,” said Page. “She is a very compassionate and caring person and will be an excellent health care provider in the field of physical therapy.”
Monigold earned a perfect 800 on the NPTE, the first graduate in SCC’s history to do so.
Crediting the the PTA program for its incredible reputation and the extreme difficulty that current students and graduates warned her about, Monigold knew this was the right fit for her and she would succeed in her career when she chose SCC.
“Dr. Page and Mrs. Kimel are still so passionate about physical therapy after over 30 years in the field,” said Monigold. “They are constantly evolving the program to meet the ever-changing needs in health care, always with the goal of producing students who go above and beyond the standards of care.”
For more information about the physical therapist assistant program, or the other programs SCC offers, visit www.southwesterncc.edu, call 828.339.4000, or stop by your nearest SCC location today.
