Hungry

 

Name: Toran D. MacLeod, PT, MPT, PhD, MS

Profession: Tenured-Faculty

Current and Previous Titles: Associate Professor

 

I am hungry.

 

Now in middle school, I am hungry for food.

Being tall and big for my age, bullies often want to get in fights. I frequently felt hungry as I went to bed at night. I need mentorship.

 

I am in high school, confused and lonely. I play sports, exercise is my medicine.

I don’t understand that learning HOW to learn is the most important for me to learn. A teacher found me, mentors me, shows me a human skeleton that I can memorize all the parts.

 

Unsure of what the future holds but loving all the information that I get to decide for myself, I am in a junior college.

I do not understand that grades really do matter for my future, my grade point average is a 2.5. I learn that earning good grades can pay for school and my education.

 

I transfer to a public university, to earn a degree in Kinesiology. This was what I could afford, given my grades, and the school was close to home. In my junior year at university, I finally learn how I learned. I found a chemistry professor, that encourages me to do research, we publish two papers. My grade point average is a 3.8, with over 225 units, and I love the information.

 

I am hungry, without enough money to pay for food.

I move far from home to study medicine. Then, realizing this was not my calling, after a year there, I fail at medical school. I have no mentors there.

 

I work a “desk job” to pay for my med-school debt and recover from my failure.

Medicine wasn’t far off from what I want, I do not know what my ultimate decision could be, and I read lots of scientific papers for fun. I love what I am learning, so I find a school I can afford that will help me get a job doing something fun.

 

A master’s degree in biomechanics, and a master’s degree in physical therapy, from a public state school I finally learn how to write. This is what I can afford, and I am hungry.

Up until now, most of my college costs were supported by grants and part-time work.

 

I earn a doctorate in biomechanics, from a top private university in the country. The cost of my education is paid for by grants, and I earn a small stipend for the research I conduct. I publish six more papers and earn awards that recognize my work. My mentors show me the way.

 

A fellow in the department of radiology, at one of the top five universities in the country. I write a grant to pay for my fellowship and earn a prestigious award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

 

I have been in college over 15 years.

 

I am an associate professor, in the department of physical therapy.

Doing what I love, learning and teaching about the human body, all because of hard work in school. I am a mentor now.

 

The path is not easy, I have stumbled and fallen but I get back up and learn where I had room for improvement. I embrace rejection, learn from my mistakes, and move forward.

I am hungry, now for knowledge.

 

My kid is now 11, they are hungry and failing 3 classes – their future is bright, I love him dearly. Time is on your side, every 3 hours you have an opportunity for success. Embrace this next phase, stay hungry.


[Note: Can be read in reverse as well]

https://www.linkedin.com/in/toranmacleod/ 

https://www.csus.edu/faculty/m/toran.macleod/



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