Roberto Lizarraga

What inspired or interested you about kinesiology?

Being treated for an L4-L5 discectomy surgery, I had to undergo several painful weeks of physical therapy. Seeing how passionate my physical therapist was to see me get better ultimately drove me to go back to school and pursue a kinesiology degree, with the goal of eventually attending physical therapy school. 

What are you doing in your kinesiology internship? 

In my internship, I have been observing physical therapy sessions and helping prepare equipment for patient exercises. My main focus is learning how therapists adjust treatments and communicate with patients to support progress and recovery.

What do you see as the greatest value of your internship? 

The greatest value of my internship has been the chance to connect what I’ve learned in class with real patient care. I have learned the most from observing how physical therapists adapt exercises to each individual and use communication to encourage progress and confidence.

What do you think of your experience at OSU/in the college so far? Any stand-out experiences? 

I can say with the utmost sincerity that my experience at OSU has been a beautiful one. If I had the chance to do it all over again, I would do so without hesitation. Being an older student when I started, I carried many presumptions that were quickly shattered. I am truly grateful to OSU and their online kinesiology degree through Ecampus.

Working three jobs is not an easy task and adding college on top of that could easily feel like a recipe for failure. Luckily, with Ecampus, I was able to go to school full-time while still managing all three jobs. It wasn’t easy, but as I often reminded myself, “this isn’t forever—embrace the struggle.” That mindset helped me push through long days and late nights.

I don’t know what I would have done without Ecampus; it gave me the flexibility and structure I needed to succeed. It is truly a great option for busy people like me who want to continue advancing their education while balancing life’s responsibilities.

All of my professors were amazing, and each played a role in molding me into a better student. Two people who instantly come to mind are my first advisor, Carey Hilbert, and Kinesiology Experiential Learning Coordinator Dee Gillen. I owe a great deal to these two women and am profoundly grateful for their presence in my OSU experience.

Thanks to OSU, I was able to live abroad in Finland through the study abroad program — an opportunity that became the standout experience of my academic journey. It was something I never dreamed I would do, let alone be accepted for.

A close second would be winning the Gilman Scholarship, which further enriched my time as a student.

To someone considering OSU for their college journey, I’d say do it. OSU is second to none in kinesiology and its professors are truly world-class.