ARTICLE
Michelle Roley’s chiropractic journey began while working on an alpaca farm. One of the younger alpaca males had been injured by a bully in his pasture after he was body slammed into a fence pole. This resulted in several chiropractic subluxations in his cervical spine and around his CT junction, making it too painful for him to stand on his own. Once farm staff realized what was going on, the alpaca farm was able to get an equine chiropractor out to work on the injured alpaca. Michelle always wanted to work with animals but knew vet life was not for her. After watching this alpaca go from too much pain and ready to die to fully restored and pain free in a matter of weeks solidified Michelle’s journey in chiropractic. Her career path was clear from this experience. Why did you decide to become a Student TCA member? I decided to become a student TCA member because I wanted to know what to expect after graduation. School is an excellent and necessary experience but knowing things in the academic sense and seeing them clinically are two different things. What motivated you to become a leader in the Parker STCA chapter? When I joined, I knew I wanted to be an active part of STCA. Also, I wanted to share my passion with other students and become a resource for them in their own journeys of becoming DCs. What reason did you decide to study chiropractic at Parker University? I decided to study at Parker University because the animal chiropractor that came out to treat my alpaca highly recommended Parker. The campus is also only about a 45-minute drive from the farm, so I was able to not completely uproot my life while studying and still spend time with my alpacas. Once I toured the campus and got a feel for what it would be like as a student there, everything fell into place perfectly, and I knew I made the right decision. How has being involved in the Parker STCA benefited you in your academic career so far? As a student, it is so easy to focus on the next big test. Being involved in Parker STCA has benefited me in my academic career because it has helped me see the big picture of who we are as a profession and helped keep my "why" in focus. Why should chiropractic students join and get involved as Student TCA members? I believe it is essential for students to be a part of TCA because it is important to stay informed about what is going on in the chiropractic profession. Additionally, the networking opportunities are priceless. What are some of the things you want to accomplish in your future chiropractic career? One thing I would like to accomplish in my future chiropractic career is to become an animal chiropractor specializing in livestock and the humans who come with them. What is something about you (a fun fact) that not many people know about you? Fun fact that not many know about me: this one is for the anatomy buffs--I am part of the population that does not have either of their palmaris longus muscles.