How Four 2025 Crest Scholars Are Defining Their Careers in PT
The students in the 2025 Rizing Tide Crest Scholarship cohort are already looking to the future—and they’ve already started plotting the course of the PT careers.
From returning home to serve their own communities to finding new ways to make care more accessible, these scholars aren’t waiting for their opportunity to change the world. They’re making plans even as they finish wrapping school and residency.
Scroll below to meet four of our stellar Crest scholars and learn what drives them, what they’re learning right now, and what they hope to do with it.
Meet Gabriela Garza, Class of 2027
Gabriela (Gabby) Garza is a second-year DPT student at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston whose focus lies in improving healthcare access to underserved communities. During her time at Baylor University, she participated in the Latinx Association for Science and Health where she supported minority students and community outreach efforts in Waco.
Gabby is continuing that work by strengthening her Spanish so she can better assist patients facing language barriers, with a long-term goal of opening a rehabilitation center that prioritizes culturally competent care.
“I chose physical therapy because I can’t imagine a career without helping people realize that the strength to change their lives already exists within them.”
Meet Chidera Ibewuike, Class of 2028
Chidera Ibewuike’s path to becoming a physical therapist was shaped by a wide range of healthcare and service experiences, including roles as a certified nursing assistant, EMT, and combat medic in the U.S. Army. Now a DPT student at the University of Central Florida, she brings that background into her patient care, focusing especially on leadership and service.
“The Rizing Tide scholarship has not only supported my education, it reinforced my responsibility to lead, give back, and elevate others as I continue to grow in the profession.”
Meet Myles Smith, Class of 2027
Myles Smith is a second-year DPT student at Langston University with a background in athletics and coaching. As a former collegiate track and field athlete and coach, he developed an early interest in movement and performance. He is now focused on rural health and how he can expand access to physical therapy in underserved communities.
“One moment that captures the value of being a Crest scholar to me has been meeting the founding members of Rizing Tide at CSM in Anaheim, California. I had the opportunity to talk to the founding members as well as students, and learn about where they’re at in life and where they’re headed. We also talked about what things are exciting us in the PT profession as well as how we can continue to build this community and this network up.”
Meet Marcella Brown, Class of 2027
Marcella Brown’s interest in physical therapy is rooted in her personal experience supporting family members through serious health challenges. That perspective shaped how she approaches care and influenced her drive to serve patients.
As a second-year DPT student at the University of Texas at El Paso, she is actively involved in community service and her program’s pro-bono clinic, with plans to pursue orthopedics and continue working with underserved and first-generation communities.
“Ultimately, the support I’ve gotten from the Rizing Tide Foundation has given me the freedom to work on becoming the most impactful physical therapist I can be.”
