Dream job abroad

Danielle Olney Egan grew up on the ice. Her mother and nine siblings were of French-Canadian descent and played ice hockey. But Egan forged her own path and became a figure skater.

"Much to their dismay," she laughed.

At 13, she suffered a stress fracture in her lower back that simultaneously sidelined her and inspired her future career. She began seeing a physical therapist (PT).

"I had a few PTs over the years, and as a teenager, their dedication impressed me," she said. "I returned to the ice in four months, and a year-and-a-half later was at 100%, and I couldn't have done it without them."

She studied biology at Georgetown University and considered graduate school for physical therapy or sports medicine. Ultimately, the hands-on aspects of PT steered the Rhode Island native toward the University of Delaware's top-ranked Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program in the College of Health Sciences.

"I chose UDPT because of its reputation and because UD has a Figure Skating Team," she said. "I did intercollegiate skating as an undergrad and wanted to continue as much as possible in graduate school."

She went to nationals with the team her first year but had to step away her second year when clinicals picked up and brought her across the country.