ABOUT ME.
Welcome to The Dedicated PT! My name is Bria Jackson, I’m from Chicago, IL, and I’m currently a student physical therapist. While traditional blogs like to tell you exactly where they are in their journey, I want to take you back to where I started from. I want to show my readers the wild ride from being an undergraduate pre-PT student to being a postgraduate applying to schools and figuring out my way in life to now being in physical therapy school.
The journey was full of more bumps and bruises than I can count but I have been documenting every part of it since 2016. At the time, I started documenting because there were very little to no blogs that highlighted Black physical therapists. I wanted to show everyone that there are Black physical therapists out there and that everyone’s path looks different! Less than 4% of physical therapists are Black. That’s a number that shocks me and that I would like to change. Sharing my story, tips, and tricks are also my way of trying to increase the number of Blacks and other minorities in the field of physical therapy.
“I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
Get to Know Me!
Hometown: Chicago
Religion: Christian
Pet peeve: when people don’t use first person language.
For example, “the autistic boy” versus “the boy with autism” correct way.
Hobbies: working out, listening to a podcast or audible, Brunch, online shopping, trying anything adventurous, traveling
Causes I care about: BLM, health disparities, racial inequality, systemic racism, mental health awareness, woman equality.
Fun Facts: I was on a double Dutch team from elementary school through junior high.
I meal prep my food.
I love organization.
My morning routine consist of: prayer, meditation, devotion, while listening to transformation church.
I’m the oldest of my siblings.
TheraPINS.
In addition to being a dedicated blogger, one of my passions includes being an entrepreneur. I’m the creator and founder of TheraPins. TheraPins was created for Pre-PT’s, PTA’s, student PT’s and physical therapists to have an avenue to come together and represent our profession in a creative way. We create enamel pins, stickers, t-shirts, and so much more!
I’ve always been obsessed with enamel pins to exhibit my various interests but noticed that there weren’t any to illustrate and inspire my love for physical therapy. I would wishfully draw images in my journal that I wish were pins and stickers my friends, colleagues, and I could wear on our bookbags, white coats, and other accessories. I wanted to accessorize in style and amplify the voice of what the field of physical therapy is.
From there, TheraPins was born. A year and a half later, it has grown bigger than I can imagine and I want it to continue to grow to be a place to get people excited about the future of physical therapy. If you or a loved one are interested in PT, or already in the field, TheraPins is the right place to go to find a new way to showcase that love! Follow our community and show us your TheraPins @thetherapins.
Author: When I See You
On June 19, 2022, my best friend and I released our Children’s Book. When I See You: Nia’s Trip to the ER.
Our Why:
This book started as a passion project for us as two best friends in the medical field. We wanted to educate about our careers while encouraging young Black girls like ourselves to see themselves in the fields they want to be in! To all the Black women out there, when we look at you, we see ourselves. Don’t ever let anyone tell you there isn’t space. There is space because we create the space.