When Leticia Fernandez came to The Master’s University in 2003, she was one of the first students in the new pre-physical therapy track in the Department of Kinesiology. Now, as a school-based physical therapist, Fernandez gets to apply the Christ-centered education she acquired at TMU to share the care of Christ with children dealing with physical disabilities.
Growing up in Santa Clarita, Fernandez (’07) first became interested in physical therapy around the age of 16 by observing her Christian high school’s basketball coach, who was also a pediatric physical therapist. The experience was formative for Fernandez, who saw a mission field in helping children in healthcare settings.
“Seeing how meeting the physical needs of somebody can open opportunities to talk about their spiritual needs, it made sense for me to be in a healthcare type of job, and helping kids specifically,” Fernandez said.
“I grew up in Santa Clarita and I always thought I’d go to TMU. But when I decided to do physical therapy, there wasn’t a program.”
Fernandez had started to apply to other schools when she was put into contact with David Larsen, athletic trainer and chair of TMU’s Department of Kinesiology. He told her that the department was starting a pre-physical therapy track (what is now TMU’s pre-allied health program) that year, and Fernandez jumped at the opportunity.
At TMU, Fernandez was part of the first graduating class to have “pre-physical therapy” on their diplomas. Even in the program’s first year, Fernandez recalls that the experience was comprehensive and rigorous.
“You’re getting that foundation for when you go to physical therapy school, to be ready to do well in a doctorate program,” she said. “TMU definitely gave me that basis — I had anatomy, physiology, physics.”
After graduation, Fernandez went to Missouri to get her doctorate in physical therapy, making her the first graduate from TMU’s pre-physical therapy track to do so. After moving back to Santa Clarita, Fernandez worked at local clinics, mainly in outpatient care for children and babies.
“I’m also Spanish-speaking, so in my mind this is a mission field — something I feel like God has called me to,” she said. “I was willing to drive to Antelope Valley and some of the lower-served areas, and then I realized, ‘Well, I could just have my own business.’”
Fernandez now runs her own company as a school-based physical therapist, looking at young students’ access to school in relation to their physical capabilities. A lot of her patients cannot walk, or are unable to climb on a playground. Fernandez works with them and their teachers to ensure they can develop the strength, coordination, and balance needed in a school setting.
“I pray that my life is a blessing to them,” Fernandez said. “I’m so thankful for the basis that I got at TMU, and knowing that the department’s only grown since then. It’s such a cool time of your life, getting to build that foundation and focus on the Lord in a way that you’ll never really get at any other stage in your life, or at any other place.”
Learn more about TMU’s pre-allied health program here.
