For Cristian Medina one of the best aspects of his internship in the physical therapy department of Orthopedic Partners in Niantic was drawing on his knowledge gained from classes like anatomy and physiology at Mitchell College.

“It felt amazing to put my knowledge into practice and be able to ask specific questions to patients based on what I had learned in class. It made the time spent in class worth it, knowing that you really learned something to apply in the real world. You’re not just showing up to class and looking at a professor,” he said.

“It makes you look like you know something, like you’re not just helping out,” he added. “You’re trying to learn and exert your knowledge.”

A health science major and Men’s Soccer and Men’s Lacrosse team member, Cristian spent the fall semester at Orthopedic Partners as a physical therapy assistant — gathering needed equipment, cleaning up exam areas, asking patients questions and participating in patient rehab.

“There were three physical therapists working there, and I was able to pick and choose who to follow throughout the day, based on who had the ‘best’ patient for me to learn from. For instance, I was more interested in an ankle fracture than balance problems, so I could seek out those kinds of patients,” Christian said.

Cristian is wrapping up his studies at Mitchell, graduating mid-year, and plans to pursue a career in the Air Force, with a goal of ultimately attending Officer Training School and taking advantage of an opportunity to participate in its physician assistant training program.

“Medicine is my calling,” he said. “I want to help people have a better tomorrow. I want to be a physician assistant in orthopedics, so I chose to intern with the physical therapy team at Orthopedic Partners. I had a practicum shadowing an orthopedic doctor there a few years back and was able to watch surgery and patient assessments and diagnoses. Working with the physical therapists, I was able to expand my knowledge to better understand both worlds.”

His favorite part of the internship was meeting so many different patients.

“Most injuries can look similar, but the recovery process for each patient is so different depending on the patient.”

Cristian said that many of the Mitchell Abilities that he learned over the years played a big part in his working successfully in his internship, especially analysis, problem solving, communication and diversity.

“I drew a lot on the Mitchell Abilities. Being able to recognize a patient’s injury and figuring out which exercises and rehab programs would work best was something that I had to do regularly. Not every patient can do the same thing and everyone has a different level of pain. I also communicated throughout the day with my supervisor and colleagues to make sure that I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. I asked questions to make sure that I was efficient and effective. And having respect and empathy towards people was especially important.”

There were a few challenges in the beginning of the internship.

“The PT team deals a lot with elderly people, which can be difficult. They tend to have a slow manner. But one of the things that I learned from my internship was that patience is needed. Go with the flow. Take your time. You’re going to get there. There is no need to be rushing things or getting frustrated. Trust time and be patient with everybody. That is absolutely a skill that I will take with me through life,” he said.

As he winds down his time at Mitchell College, Cristian said, “I will miss my friends and the Mitchell College campus. The environment is so supportive. People help you and the professors care. It’s easy to talk to them one on one, and the Tutoring Center also gives a lot of help.”

Another perk?

“When you walk to class and see a view of the water, that’s a great feeling. It makes you go through your day with more motivation.”

Nolan Clack credits Mitchell College with putting him on a path to meet his future goals. A sport management major who plays on the Mitchell College Men’s Soccer team and is vice president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Council, Nolan is also interning at G’s Fitness and Nutrition in Waterford, where he is helping other athletes as a personal trainer. All those commitments make for busy days, but Nolan is up for the task.

After spending the summer as a client at G’s, he moved to a fall internship, working almost every day for a couple of hours each day.

“I built a relationship with the trainers who work at G’s over the summer, so this has been a nice transition. In my internship I began to help the athletes who work out there with strength training and conditioning,” he said.

“This internship has helped guide me in figuring out what part of the fitness industry I want to be in. It also has shown me how beneficial it can be working with younger athletes. That’s my favorite part of what I’m doing. I like to see the progress they have made from the time they started to where they are after each workout.”

Nolan said that he regularly uses skills he has learned through the Mitchell Ability Model in his work with his clients at the gym.

“I often have to create a different way to solve problems by understanding clients’ wants and needs and figuring out how to work around little problems. I also work with diverse group of people with different perspectives, so I have been able see why they think a certain way,” Nolan said.

Beyond the satisfaction of the work itself, “a great perk of doing my internship at the gym is that I can work out and train there once I am done for the day,” he said.

“Mitchell has done a great job setting me up for success and assisting me with what I need to better my future. I was drawn to the small classroom settings and better learning atmosphere, plus the private beach and the recent years of success in the athletics program.”

In this season of giving thanks, sophomore Mame Diarra (Mumjahdah) AbdurRahman reflects on her gratitude for Mitchell College.

“Mitchell College has given me the second chance to have an educational experience. It accommodates my learning style and that eases my anxiety. I love to connect with staff on campus, mostly because they remind me that you can have a pleasant experience in school, be acknowledged for things you have accomplished and be recognized for where you are as a person,” she said.

“Two things drew me to Mitchell. I loved how President Espy is African American and looks like me, and it’s a college with learning accommodations.”

Mame Diarra, 27, was recently diagnosed with autism.

“I knew there was something going on with me,” she said. “But I didn’t know what. I felt like a misunderstood person.”

She attended two other colleges before Mitchell, where she first enrolled early in the pandemic, when classes were on Zoom. After less than a semester, she decided to take a break from school.

“I wasn’t going to come back at all,” she said. “I thought, ‘I’m kind of done. I don’t want to do school anymore. I’m over it.’”

Mame Diarra went back home to Oakland, Calif., where she said she started working on herself by working out and eating right.

“I saw what the worst possibility was, and I saw what the best possibility was,” she said.

She returned to an organization – Youth Spirit Artworks (YSA) – where she has been involved since 2013, both as a volunteer and an employee. An interfaith art jobs and job training program for homeless and low-income youth in the San Francisco Bay area, the organization focuses on giving youth the skills, experience and self-confidence to empower and transform their lives.

Mame Diarra went back to work as a resident assistant in the organization’s Tiny House Empowerment Village, transitional youth housing.

“Tiny House Village changed my life. It allowed me the space and time to work on myself mentally and physically while helping low-income and at-risk youth. It was my home and community that I stay connected with,” she said.

“I’ve had the opportunity to do many things for YSA – doing art and writing poetry, learning how to run a nonprofit and speaking at rallies and council meetings on behalf of the organization. It has grown me personally and professionally over the years.”

Mame Diarra, a singer since childhood, also discovered that she has a talent for poetry when poet Charles Blackwell visited YSA in 2015.

“He said I was a talented writer and started mentoring me. It was intense, but it shaped my poetry. My past traumas and stuff I never got the chance to say inspires my poetry. My dad died when I was 16. My family would do things to honor him but wouldn’t talk about how I was in pain. Putting my feelings on paper was therapy for me.”

Mame Diarra said her poetry also comes from laughter; she can make anyone laugh and sees laughter as medicine. She likes that “grammar doesn’t count” in poetry and ideas can be expressed in any way.

“My poetry comes to me when it comes to me. Most of my deeper poetry is God-directed because it’s something outside of me. It’s within my human experience, but something outside of me – an unknown source – directs me to do it. I write it down and it’s beautiful. It’s a stream. I don’t craft it.”

Her poetry has been published in several periodicals and is now in a newly published book, “It Takes a Village: Tiny Houses, Big Voices” (Youth Spirit Artworks).

A psychology major and criminal justice minor, Mame Diarra has a goal of opening up a restorative justice organization to give kids who are looked at as rebellious a chance to reform in elementary school or even college.

“I want to be that person to advocate for an African American kid in an all-white setting who needs more guidance. When I hear about rebellious kids, I say a secret prayer and wish them the best, but I want to be the person who says to them, ‘Where does this come from, how can you help yourself?’ and help bring something positive to them.’”

For now, Mame Diarra is grateful to have returned to Mitchell after her almost two-year hiatus.

“I was at home on my balcony one night and said, ‘God, I want my education again. Should I go back to New London?’ I woke up with the sudden urge to go back,” she said.

“I think it’s very important to practice gratitude. It is what makes the forces that we can’t see balanced.”

To read one of Mame Diarra’s poems, click here.