Mega Doctor News
By Selene Rodriguez
Inspired to grow and make a difference, South Texas College alumnus Jonathan Gonzalez recently earned a Doctorate in Physical Therapy (DPT), a milestone 10 years in the making, forged through perseverance and a commitment to helping people heal.
His journey was anything but easy. Three attempts to break into STC’s highly competitive Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program, a pandemic that thrust him onto the front lines of health care and gave him new purpose to his work and years of hands-on experience that shaped him into the clinician he is today.
“It all began at STC. The college gave me the chance to grow, to learn and to take my first steps into a field I truly cherish,” the 33-year-old said. “I’m here today because of that foundation. Nothing about this journey came easy, but that’s the lesson I share with others: Everything is possible, just don’t give up.”
Raised in McAllen with roots in Lubbock, Gonzalez always felt drawn to helping others and envisioned a future in health care. An avid fan of health and fitness, he discovered during his first classes at STC that there was a real future for him in physical therapy.
“It really stumbled upon me. I knew I wanted a job where I could stay active and learn more about the human body and anatomy,” he said. “When I learned that physical therapy was all about rehabilitation and understanding how the body works, I thought, ‘That’s something I could see myself doing.’”
However, it took three years of applications to be accepted into the competitive program, finally starting in 2015 and graduating with a physical therapist assistant associate degree in 2017.
“The program was very challenging and for a good reason. It pushes you to your limits and forces you to grow, which is why so many people consider STC one of the best schools to go to,” he explained. “At that point in my life, it felt especially tough because everything was new. It’s not your typical class where you can just memorize facts. In physical therapy, you’re learning how to apply complex concepts, not just about muscles, but about the entire rehabilitation process and how to truly help people.”
Upon graduating, he quickly entered the workforce as a PTA, first at an outpatient clinic for six months, then at a nursing home, an experience that would become one of the most defining of his life as he worked through the pandemic.
“I witnessed COVID firsthand, before vaccines, nasal swabs or any real protocols,” he said. “It was hard and honestly terrifying. I remember unzipping the barrier and stepping into a building where COVID-19 was everywhere. I was there when many nurses quit, and I saw residents at my clinic pass away.”
The experience inspired him to pursue his doctorate in physical therapy and prepared him to enroll in a bridge program available to STC graduates through a partnership with The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston (UTMB). The program offers experienced PTAs a pathway to become physical therapists while continuing to work.
“As a PTA, you don’t have to take that step, but it was a choice I made because I felt I could have more autonomy as a DPT,” he said. “You’re able to create treatment plans for your patients the way you see fit, and ultimately my goals have always been to help patients and grow as a professional, so I continued on that path.”
Today, Gonzalez has come full circle, mentoring STC students and recent graduates in his current role with South Texas Health System, where he has worked for the last four years and hopes to continue contributing as a DPT.
He is preparing to take his DPT licensure exam in October and looks forward to earning certification in dry needling, a therapeutic technique that uses thin needles to release muscle tension, relieve pain and improve mobility.
His mother said she could not be prouder of her son for reaching his goals or more grateful to STC.
“As a proud parent, I’m deeply grateful to STC for shaping Jonathan’s journey. Before the doctorate and all his achievements, STC planted the seeds of his passion for physical therapy and built the foundation that carried him through years of growth and perseverance,” wrote his mother Marina Gonzalez, in a letter to STC. “This college will always hold a special place in our hearts because it was the beginning of a journey that has become so much more than we could have imagined.”
With milestones such as being a first-generation college graduate, the only therapist in his family and the first PTA to earn Sava Senior Care’s Advanced Clinician Cardiopulmonary Award, Gonzalez now looks ahead to even greater challenges and career goals in the very field that once took him three years of persistence to enter.
“STC opened the door to higher education for me and I truly believe it’s an incredible place to discover your path,” he said. “There were times in the program when I honestly thought I might fail, but I received the support I needed to keep going. The struggle makes you stronger and gives you a solid foundation. It’s all about never giving up.”
Information source: STC
