Kinesiology major graduates to pursue physical therapy dream

Photography: Andrea MabryFor Chandler Mull, moving from Tennessee to Alabama was all about securing her future. Being accepted to the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s early acceptance program meant she had a spot in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program — but she did not expect to find a second home.

A Lookout Mountain, Tennessee, native, Mull attended a small, all-girls private high school, where she graduated with a class of 83 people, and when the new Blazer arrived on campus in fall 2019, she immediately fell in love with the campus.

“Coming from a small high school, I knew I wanted to go to a college that did not have any closed gates or doors — where I could meet people from all over — and that’s what I have found at UAB,” Mull said.

After a short seven months on campus, the UAB Honors College student found herself having to move back home due to the COVID-19 pandemic for the next two semesters.

“Thankfully for me, I learned how to study and focus on priorities in high school, so learning remotely was not academically hard,” she said. “However, mentally it was hard because we were having to isolate due to my parents’ being immunocompromised. I missed being around other students, so it was amazing when I was able to come back to campus.”

Once back, Mull wasted no time in finding a way to get involved on campus. As a kinesiology major, she had to take anatomy early on in her course schedule, so she decided to combine her knowledge and understanding of the class with her passion for teaching and helping others by becoming a supplemental instructor.

Under the Vulcan Materials Academic Success Center, supplemental instruction is an academic assistance program providing regularly scheduled out-of-class, peer-led study sessions for challenging courses.

“When I was little, I wanted to grow up and be a teacher — my parents would buy me fake grade books, and I would pretend to teach my younger siblings,” she said. “When I was approached about being a supplemental instructor for anatomy, it gave me the opportunity to help other students, and it has been the best thing I have been able to do here.”

Blazing forward

Mull will graduate in UAB’s fall undergraduate commencement ceremony Dec. 10 with a degree in kinesiology with a concentration on exercise science and a minor in nutrition.  

During her time as a student, Mull became certified as a personal trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, which she hopes will make her a well-rounded therapist in the future.  

“As a kinesiology major, I have had to take classes such as anatomy and physiology, which has helped me learn the anatomy of body parts, how they work and how they function,” she said. “My hope is that having a background in kinesiology, nutrition and personal training will allow me to better serve my future patients.”

Mull will begin her journey toward achieving her dream with the physical therapy program in the UAB School of Health Professions in January 2023.