When Brittany Conley was 4, her father survived a truck crash that left doctors doubting he would walk again.
A rehab team in Arkansas helped him recover, inspiring Conley to pursue a career in physical therapy.
On May 16, Conley, a member of the Choctaw Nation, earned her doctor of physical therapy degree from the University of New England.
“If it weren’t for them, I don’t know if I would have been able to become a physical therapist,” Conley said of the physical therapy team who were her first role models. “It just changed everything. That’s my passion behind this, because as I grew, I realized that things would have been totally different for my dad.”
A first-generation college student from Smithville, Oklahoma, Conley said growing up in a rural community highlighted the challenges many tribal citizens face accessing health care.
Through the Indian Health Service Scholarship Program, which covered her final year of study, Conley committed to serving in tribal and underserved communities after graduation. She recently completed a clinical rotation at the Choctaw Nation Health Care Center in Talihina and hopes to return to serve her community.
I got to see a lot of elders and a bunch of people from Smithville. They asked what I was doing, and I said, ‘Guess what? I’m a Doctor of Physical Therapy now.’ They thought that was pretty cool,” Conley said.
While Conley hopes to fulfill at least part of her three-year Indian Health Service Scholarship commitment in the Choctaw Nation, she is not worried if she must step into a new experience in a new place.
Conley said her experience at UNE taught her to embrace challenges and pursue opportunities, even when they seem intimidating.
“It’s funny, I’ve done all these things scared,” Conley said. “My brother, Bryan, wants to go to medical school and he’s nervous. And I’m like, ‘Just do it scared.’ It will be uncomfortable, but if it’s not uncomfortable, then you’re not challenging yourself.”
For the full story, visit une.edu/student-news/une-class-2026-student-profiles.