Brogan Comstock is a kinesiology alumni who is pursuing her dream career. Currently, she is a graduate student at California State University Dominguez Hills studying prosthetics and orthotics. Brogan’s undergraduate experience at the School of Kinesiology prepared her for graduate studies and the continuation of her career.
Comstock grew up in the surrounding suburbs of Minneapolis. Throughout her childhood, she always knew she wanted to be in medicine. Being a doctor, nurse, or helicopter medic were some of her dream occupations. As she moved on to high school, these science-focused interests prevailed, but she also wanted to study something that had a human application. This led her to the kinesiology program within the School of Kinesiology.
Comstock had many positive experiences throughout her undergraduate career both inside and outside of the classroom. She recalls many fond aspects of the kinesiology major, especially the interactions with her peers and committed faculty members.
“Kinesiology ended up being a small major, so you knew almost everyone in your classes. The faculty were extremely enthusiastic about what they were teaching, I do not think I ever had a negative experience in a kinesiology class. The environment was very sports based, which was fun because there was always a group going to a game or for a run or hitting the gym after class “
Comstock was active outside of class to gain different experiences to support her future career. One position she held was at the University’s McNamara Alumni Center to help run events. Within this role, she was given a packet of information and would be expected to implement an event and build a relationship with the respective client. Comstock revealed at the time, she didn’t think this position was relevant to her career. Since then, she’s found that planning process prepared her for future clinician roles.
“Looking through medical notes before you see a patient is almost exactly the same procedure as reviewing the alumni center’s information packet.”
Besides working at the alumni center, Comstock also held an undergraduate research position at Minneapolis Veterans Affairs Health System in their Motion Analysis Laboratory. This position allowed her to gain experience in prosthetics and orthotics while being involved in the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP). The UROP program allows students to gain research experience under a mentor, build connections in their desired profession, and publicly present their research findings within a semester. After Comstock’s UROP ended, she continued to research with this lab for course credit. She’s had such a positive experience with them that she continues to volunteer with them virtually.
Comstock enjoyed her time at the University of Minnesota, especially with the abundance of opportunities on campus and in the surrounding communities. As a student, her favorite memory was meeting her freshman year roommates.
“We were four girls randomly assigned to one room. In most cases, that would be a recipe for disaster but they became my best friends. We still talk weekly and they have come out to visit me in California.”
Since graduating from the School of Kinesiology, Comstock has found her way to California to further her education. Her undergraduate kinesiology degree and research experiences helped her decide that prosthetics and orthotics was the field she wanted to get a master’s degree in. She eventually landed on California State University Dominguez Hills because the program focuses heavily on patient interaction, requiring 300 more clinical hours than similar programs. Comstock referenced how her undergraduate degree helped her get into the graduate program.
“My undergraduate career helped me build a basis of knowledge for orthotics and prosthetics. This includes every liberal arts class, not just kinesiology. As a soon-to-be clinician, knowing my patient’s religious background, motivation, physical activity, etc. in addition to their physical condition and the process behind the devices was exceptionally important. I did not realize how applicable all the classes were to patient care until I used that knowledge.”
Comstock aspires to be clinician after completing graduate school, hopefully working abroad. Beyond that, she hopes to get a PhD in orthotics and prosthetics or rehabilitation science and pursue research.
Her advice to current kinesiology students: “Most professionals want to help people get into their field, so do not hesitate to reach out for any questions or opportunities. Getting a “no” is rare and is not the end of the world.”
