Introduction to Jinal Wani
Hi! My name is Jinal Wani, I am twenty one years old and a third year undergraduate student here at the University of Oklahoma. I am currently studying health and exercise science in hopes of one day being a physical therapist or an athletic trainer. I grew up in Flower Mound, Texas, a suburb on the outskirts of Dallas. I grew up in a household with my mom, dad, brother and dog. My brother is a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Dallas with a degree in mechanical engineering.
Although I am a third year student, this is only my second semester attending the University of Oklahoma. My first two years of undergraduate school were spent at the University of Texas at Austin, of course I just had to make the switch between the two most rivalous schools. I found myself in Austin to be very lost amidst the big city, and overwhelmed with the culture shock from my hometown to a busy part of town. It took a lot of humbling myself to finally admit I needed to make a change in order to be happy in my life. There was always a part of me that wanted to transfer here and I finally made that little push to do it in the spring semester of 2019. Transferring here and starting over turned out to be one of the best decisions I ever made for myself.
I plan to graduate in the spring or summer of 2021 with a degree in health and exercise science. I hope to one day be accepted into physical therapy school to obtain a doctorate degree and become a certified physical therapist. My big time dream is to one day become the official physical therapist or athletic trainer for the Dallas Cowboys or any other NFL team. I chose this path because I have always had an interest in rehabilitation and helping people. I have witnessed many people in my life go through the painful process of physical therapy, but their stories are so inspiring that it truly makes me want to be a part of someone’s journey.
Myself in Austin, TX
Hi Jinal! I think it is really funny that you transferred from UT to OU after two years. I guess you get to spend two years at each school and you can come to your own conclusions about which one is better (OU of course). One of my roomates is from Flower Mound too so I actually know where that is.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you found your way to the school that is right for you, Jinal! That happened to me too, where I started out at a private school but it just felt so weird to me; I dropped out and ended up at a big public university (Berkeley), and it was just what I was looking for, so I ended up very happy with my choice too.
ReplyDeleteI go visit my dad in Austin a lot, and he lives literally across the street from the UT campus, and there is definitely a very different vibe there from OU. When I go walking, I usually end up walking down by the capitol instead; the campus vibe doesn't really work for me there just as a walker.
And one thing I always say to HES majors in this class, especially future physical therapists like yourself, is to think about maybe using this class as a way to learn about the cultural context of yoga: there are so many connections between the yoga poses and stories from the Indian tradition, like with the Garuda Asana (Garuda is the divine eagle mount of the god Vishnu) or the Hanuman Asana (you'll be meeting Hanuman in the Ramayana soon!) and so many more. If that is something you are interested in, it can make such a cool project for the class! :-)
Jinal– it was very brave of you to transfer! I can't image how difficult it would be to uproot after two years of undergraduate study, but it can be so stressful remaining in a place where you feel like you don't belong. And I'm sure everyone you meet in Norman thinks you made the right choice. Since you want to be the physical therapist for the Cowboys, I assume you're a fan! If so, I hope you're excited about Mike McCarthy as the new head coach. I don't really follow the NFL, but the Cowboys have a special place in my heart, and I hope things turn around for them.
ReplyDeleteHey Jinal!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you are pursing a career that you're truly inspired to do. It's not always the case that someone gets to do what they truly want to. Also, I understand the effort it takes to make such a huge change. A really good friend of mine made a similar transfer after two years at TAMU, and now feels much more at home at OU. Part of living life happy is finding a place where you feel at home, and I'm glad you made a change for the better.
Hi Jinal!
ReplyDeleteIt is so awesome that you decided to make that switch. My sister transferred from UTD where she had a full ride and was playing softball to UT after her fist year of college. It was definitely not easy for her, but she was so much happier. So congratulations. Also, it is so cool that you want to be a NFL trainer! I bet that would be a blast. Wishing you the best of luck!
Hi Jinal!
ReplyDeleteWhen watching sports events, I often think how cool it would be to practice therapy or medicine to assist athletes! And I know it is late, but welcome to OU! I am sure that OU-TX is a crazy and conflicting time for you now. That is amazing you have the passion to help and improve people's lives through physical therapy. And working with talented athletes is another major plus!
Jinal,
ReplyDeleteWow, lots of health and exercise science majors in this class! Not that it's a bad thing... it's a good thing actually. It's good to know that I have a class full of people that want to help people recover and regain their strength again both physically and mentally. And this might sound weird because I don't know nor have we ever met, but I feel proud of and for you for finally finding your way! Figuring out where we fit in and what we want to do is the hardest part of college, but it inspires me to hear stories of people my age that fell and then picked themselves back up :-)
Hi Jinal! Nice to meet you! We are so happy to have you switch to OU (we know, we're better than UT (insert hair flip)). What persuaded you to make the move to Oklahoma?
ReplyDeleteAlso, I love that you wanna work with a Dallas sports team! I'm thinking about sports law and hope to work in Texas! Wouldn't it be funny if one day, we ended up working for the same team! I wish you the best of luck with your endeavors.
Hi Jinal,
ReplyDeleteI think that's really cool that you attended the two schools that debatably share the biggest rivalry in the nation haha. It really does take a lot of humility to admit that you don't like something and make a huge change like you did. I hope it didn't set you behind in school at all. That would be my biggest fear besides making all new friends!
Hi Jinal! I think it takes a lot of courage to make a big change like you did halfway through your undergraduate career; congrats to you for being brave and doing what suits you the best.
ReplyDeleteI have gone through physical therapy twice after dislocating (and then redislocating) my shoulder. Honestly, props to you for helping people like me that can't keep their arms attached to their bodies. My physical therapy experience has only been good, so I hope you can also be a helpful physical therapist!
Hi Jinal! Thanks for sharing a bit into your mindset about changing universities. It sounded like a humbling experience! Growing up, I initially wanted to be a physical therapist and even got the opportunity to work in several for a few years. I always enjoyed working alongside people to help recover and it sounds like you found a great career choice. Alas, here I am as a Chemistry major, thinking of medical school. Hard work never fails! Best of luck moving forward Jinal!
ReplyDeleteHi Jinal! I only know of Flower Mound because I get Ben and Jerry's around there every time I go visit my grandma in Fort Worth haha. It seems like a lovely place! I was a Health and Exercise major for a bit but the anatomy and physiology requirements really got in my way. Kudos for you for being able to get through all that! Good luck on your PT route, too. It's inspiring to see people like you hoping to help others!
ReplyDeleteHowdy Jinal, hope all is well. It’s wild to me how often I hear about the UT OU transfer arc; my wife’s best friend transferred from OU to UT for the inverse reason. I’m always excited to hear about people pursuing HES; I’ve unfortunately had a decent bit of time spent with trainers and they’ve always left such positive impressions. That’s a very crucial and niche job, so good luck with it!
ReplyDeleteHello Jinal,
ReplyDeleteI know where FloMo is, that's near where some of my family lives. You sure did make quite the change from burnt orange to crimson! Glad you're here now though. Making big changes like that for one's wellbeing can certainly be scary, but usually worth it :) I look forward to reading your writing this semester.
Hi Jinal,
ReplyDeleteI think it is so cool you transferred here from UT, I have not met many people who have done that. It would be so cool to be a physical therapist for the NFL and get to meet a ton of different people. I think Health and Exercise Science is an awesome major because you can use what you learn to help people on a very personal level. Good luck with the rest of the semester!
Hello Jinal!
ReplyDeleteIt was great getting to know more about you. I’m amazed that you used to go to UT. My roommate really wanted to go there our freshman year. I would love to learn more about your experience there. Also, its so cool that you’re a Health and Exercise Science major. I’m a third year majoring in biochemistry and I must say, after being in my third year, I really wish I could’ve done HES instead. In high school, I really enjoyed chemistry but now, I’m sick of it. What’s crazy is that I love fitness and staying active so I don’t know why I didn’t pick HES. Now, its too late to do anything really and it bums me out sometimes. Anyway, I hope you reach your goals in life!
Hi Jinal!
ReplyDeleteI also grew up in Dallas but more central Dallas so it's always cool to see Dallas people. I'm very happy for you that you're more happy here then you were in Austin. When my Dad was in college he also transferred from Texas to OU. I am currently a 3rd year business major and I love pretty much every part of it except Accounting. It was very nice to meet you and good luck with the rest of the online school semester.
Hi Jinal!
ReplyDeleteI loved reading your sneak peak into your life! I've been to Austin many times before, since I am from the Houston area, and although I do love the city, I can imagine how overwhelming it would be to live there full time. I really hope you are loving OU and how different I know Norman is from Austin! Also congrats to your brother and I hope you get into PT school!
Hi Jinal! I would say that it is crazy that you went from UT Austin to OU but my brother did the opposite and transferred from here to UT Austin! Like you I am also from a suburb near Dallas. I am from Colleyville so I know exactly where Flower Mound is and actually had several friends who went to school there. Best of luck the rest of this semester!
ReplyDeleteHi Jinal! Wow, you came here all the way from UT Austin? That doesn't surprise me that you chose the better side! Reading more from your introduction, I'm very intrigued by your path of being a physical therapist! Your dreams of working with the Dallas Cowboys or any of the NFL team is highly respectable and I wish you the best in seeing it all the way through! I look forward to read more from you.
ReplyDeleteHi Jinal,
ReplyDeleteThat is a big switch lol, my sister went to UT and I’m here at OU. I grew up in Grand Prairie, so I’ve been to Flower Mound many times and it’s nice you aren’t crazy far from home. It’s awesome that you have such specific goals for your career, and they sound awesome! The Cowboys or any NFL team would be an interesting place to use your skills.