Growing up in Fort Smith, Arkansas, Jansen Stein ’20 played football and basketball at Greenwood High School and spent much of his time in physical therapy recovering from sports injuries. This was a kick-start toward his passion for helping others.
“The physical therapist that I worked with helped me recover physically from my injuries, and he also encouraged me and helped improve my emotional state at that time in my life,” Stein said.
“I wanted to be able to do the same for people recovering from their own injuries and empower them to achieve their own goals and to return to the activities that they enjoy doing.”
Stein attended Harding University for his undergraduate studies, receiving a Bachelor of Science in exercise science. From there, he continued his journey at the University of Central Arkansas where he was accepted into the Doctor of Physical Therapy program in 2017.
Stein reached much success during his time at UCA. He served as the program’s class president for the class of 2020, allowing him to act as a representative in coordination with the faculty. He was also one of 11 members in his class to be inducted into the Physical Therapy National Student Honors Society and was awarded the program’s Academic Excellence Award for his 4.0 GPA. He also earned a perfect score on the National Physical Therapy Exam.
Since completing his degree, Stein has begun his career as a physical therapist at Ortho Rehab and Speciality Center in Cabot, Arkansas. He said he looks forward to building relationships with his patients.
“I am very happy that I was able to attend physical therapy school at UCA, and because of my education I received from there, I feel very prepared to work as a physical therapist and help people achieve their goals,” Stein said.