Grace Ivy

Meet Grace Ivy

Grace Ivy is a third-year physical therapy student at ETSU. The Memphis native came to Johnson City after first earning her bachelor’s degree in Knoxville and then falling in love with the Tri-Cities region. Scheduled to graduate from the ETSU College of Clinical and Rehabilitative Health Sciences as a physical therapist in December, Ivy found herself leaving the country for the first time ever earlier this year as part of an interprofessional service trip to Costa Rica. She has also found herself immersed in her latest endeavor – woodworking.

What might people not know about you?

I really enjoy woodworking. I love just making things with my hands. I like physical therapy because I get to use my hands and work with patients all day. With woodworking, I get to go home after work and go into my workshop and look at a long piece of wood and decide how to break it down into something to make and give someone as a gift. Using my hands while I am woodburning or building something is such a blessing to me.

What is that process like, turning a huge piece of wood into something else entirely?

Sometimes it’s a long process and sometimes it is a short one. I’ve been doing this for about three years, now. My first project was making a headboard for my ‘big-girl’ bed. All four years of undergraduate (school), I was in a twin bed. I decided when I went to PT school to buy myself a queen mattress but the headboards were so expensive. So, I made myself a headboard. That’s how it started. Then, I decided to buy a circular saw and a sander and constructed myself a coffee table to go into my apartment. Now I make a lot of different things.  

What are your plans after you graduate in December?

I am going to move to Knoxville and work in a small, private, manual physical therapy clinic. I am hoping I can find a house with a back yard for my dog and I will have a barn that is set up for my woodworking.

What are your ultimate career goals?

I’ve always had a mindset of being an outpatient clinician and working with orthopedics. I’m hoping to one day own my own clinic and help treat patients here in America and be a wonderful orthopedic manual physical therapist.

Tell us about the experience of going to Costa Rica.

I’ve never been out of the country before, so I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity while I am a student to be able to see what going to a different country is like and what physical therapy looks like there. I was completely nervous but I knew I had people with me that I trusted. It was kind of a blessing to go and have so much already set up for me. We had activities outside of treating patients, so I was able to see some of the city of San Jose and Costa Rica and meet wonderful people down there. That experience in itself – having my family away from home, my school friends coming with me down to Costa Rica – was a blessing. They just made it a great trip.

What did you take away from the experience?

I really saw the poverty in Costa Rica and saw joy in the people’s hearts down there. They were so willing to give and be with us for the week. I was not expecting them to give that much time to us. The trip also gave me this little push of confidence and reassured me I can go into whatever after I graduate.  

How has ETSU helped you along your journey?

I wouldn’t be a physical therapist without ETSU. I remember my interview day, coming from Knoxville up to Johnson City. I woke up at 6:30 in the morning and it was a beautiful sunrise as I drove in to meet the people here. I felt like I was at home with the people talking to me. When I left that day, I knew this could definitely be my home for three years. A month later, I got an acceptance letter and accepted the very next day. I was committed to ETSU from the day I left the interview, and it has been so worthwhile. My classmates are my family. My professors are so encouraging and always there for me. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience going through physical therapy school than coming to ETSU.

Tell us your philosophy on life.

Work earnestly, speak kindly, act sincerely and choose thoughtfully. I think those four lines together are a way that you can live and show yourself in a positive light to others. Just live life to the fullest and use moments that you have with people to the best of your ability.