Alex Caspary is a rising fourth-year student in the Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology (APK) on the pre-physical therapy track. He is involved in various volunteering groups on campus such as Aces in Motion, where he tutors youth that are from the underprivileged parts of Gainesville. He also volunteers at Kinetix Physical Therapy, where he helps the therapists run patients through exercises. Caspary is an HHPeer mentor for freshmen from HHP as well as an ambassador for the college. He is a TA for APK2105 and conducts data analysis on EMG data in Dr. Coombe’s and Dr.Vaillancourt’s lab.

Caspary serves on the APK Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access (IDEA) Committee which strives to create an outline on how to make the department and college more inclusive and accessible.

Q&A

If you could give your freshman self any advice, what would it be and why?

The advice I would give to my freshman self is to not stress about the future and constantly think about the 'what if' scenarios. Focus on the current situations at hand and take it one day at a time. As a freshman, I would stress about involvement and always have the thought of, “What do professional schools want to see from me?"

It is important to do what you love and have passion for the things that you do.

What are the major issues around inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) that you are passionate about? 

The major IDEA issues that I am passionate about are promoting an environment in the college where people of all racial backgrounds are welcome. We are trying to make the resources the college offers more accessible by partnering with minority student organizations to introduce them to the majors in our college.

Another issue I am passionate about is increasing minority involvement in TA positions, lab positions and the HHP mentorship program.

Who is your IDEA hero that inspires you?

My IDEA hero is Stacey Abrams because I find it so inspiring how she helped sign up so many Black voters and ignited the fight against voter suppression. It inspires me how she was able to increase voter turnout exponentially and help give people a voice in democracy.

What do you plan to do in the future and how do you plan to incorporate IDEA into your future profession?

I plan to become a physical therapist in the future and I plan to incorporate IDEA into my field by creating an environment where all racial backgrounds are welcome through conversations with patients and promotion of the inclusive environment of the clinic. I plan on the clinic using bilingual communication, due to a large amount of hispanic speakers that do not speak English.

Furthermore, I plan on accepting all insurance because there is a large amount of minorities who are being declined treatment due to their type of insurance.

What encouragement would you give to your fellow students about getting involved with IDEA?

The encouragement I would give to fellow students is to not be afraid to use your voice to enact change and give advice. I encourage everyone to get involved and share tips on how to make the environment you're in more inclusive and accessible to all racial backgrounds.

Any parting or additional comments?

“When the whole world is silent, even one voice becomes powerful.”
-Malala Yousafzai

This quote by Malala exemplifies how important our voices are and that it takes one person to help start the movement for change.

[Profile added in 2021]

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