Student Spotlight Chris Sorgani

Our next Student Spotlight is Chris Sorgani. Read Chris’s interview to learn about his unique PT experience touching on his interest in research.


Where were you born/raised?
I was born in Arlington Heights, Illinois, and was raised in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. Both are northwest suburbs of Chicago.

How many siblings do you have?

I have two younger brothers. One is 17 and is attending SLU next year, and the other is 13 and in seventh grade.

What after school activities did you do as a child?
Growing up I had a chance to play a lot of different sports, including baseball, basketball, football, swimming, and cross country. In high school I primarily ran cross country and track, but also playedball and swam.

Where did you go to high school?
I went to Buffalo Grove High School, located in Buffalo Grove, Illinois. My favorite class was probably AP Biology, mostly because there were a lot of interesting labs and the material was pretty interesting.

Have you worked in a physical therapy clinic, hospital, home health etc.?
As a sophomore I don’t have any clinical experience. However, I work in the Gait Lab for Dr. Wagner and have observed and participated in a few studies and programs that were mostly involved with Multiple Sclerosis. I also assist with data entry and analysis.

Can you talk about an experience in the lab or in a clinical that struck you? What is it that you enjoy about being in the lab or the clinic?
I don’t know if there has been a single lab experience that strikes me, but it is always very interesting to observe and assist in the lab. The past couple months I have been helping with a fall prevention program, and I think it’s great to be able to work with people in a lab setting. It’s something I haven’t had a lot of in class and I really enjoy it. I like learning new information and being able to apply it to patients that I get to actually work with.

What area of physical therapy are you currently interested in?
I am trying to keep an open mind, but I am most interested in sports, neurology, and orthopedic physical therapy.

How did you become interested in physical therapy in general? How did you become interested in the specific area that you are interested in?
I have sustained several injuries in the past and have needed to go to physical therapy for a few of them. I found it all very interesting and exciting and the PTs that worked with me were really smart and helpful. I have always wanted to do something in the science/healthcare field and something to help others, so physical therapy fits perfectly. It is also a relatively active profession, which is another thing I like.

What types of service activities have you organized or participated in with regards to Saint Louis University?
Since coming to SLU the majority of my service has been in helping out at Campus Kitchen, mostly with delivering food to people in the community. I have also helped out with a couple of multiple sclerosis events.

If you were not a physical therapy student what would you be?
I would most likely be a spy if I wasn’t a physical therapy student. It was either that or PT, and I decided physical therapy is probably the better choice in the long run.

Fun Facts:
-My favorite sport to play and watch is hockey.
-I’m a huge Chicago Blackhawks fan.
-My favorite movie is probably The Lion King.
-Some places I would really like to travel to include Italy and Australia.
-I have always wanted to go SCUBA diving and spearfishing.

What is something you would like to do in the next ten years?
I eventually want to have my own physical therapy clinic and right now my goal is to get started with it in about 10 years.

What would your advice be to incoming freshmen?
Some advice for incoming freshmen would be to not stress out about everything. Take school and other activities one at a time and slow down. Also, studying a little every day really does help, especially in more intensive courses.

Why did you choose SLU?
I chose SLU mainly because there is a great physical therapy program. I also really like the campus and faculty and was given a pretty good scholarship.