Chad Walters' Story

I’ve lived in Abilene for the past 10 years working as a physical therapist. I work right across the street from the Physician Assistant building, so when I saw the sign go up, it inspired me to go back to school.

As a physical therapist, I know the musculoskeletal part of the body really well, but I wanted to learn to do more. Having HSU in this community made that possible for me.

I have had such a great experience with the faculty and staff here. They are very accessible and bend over backward to support their students. I really do think they would do whatever it takes to help me and other students succeed. I already knew several faculty members outside of school. Now that I am a student, they see me on campus and always take the time to ask me how things are going.

A few weeks ago I went to visit my nephew who attends another, larger university. Even though we had a fun experience watching a big school’s football game, he’s feeling very isolated as a new student. He has had a hard time establishing community. At a school the size of HSU, I don’t think that’s a problem. There are so many ways to meet faculty and students. Because it is a smaller campus, I feel like it’s easier to jump right in and be a part of a community. For me, HSU is family.