Breden Beyer
2018 Gilman Scholar
Hometown
Farmington Hills, MI
Major
Movement and Sports Sciences
College
Health and Human Sciences
"It was the first soccer game of the season. Earlier in the year, I had received my first concussion playing ultimate Frisbee, and had taken six weeks off to rest and recover until my headaches finally abated. A few months later, after spending the entire summer training, I started in the first game of the Ft. Wayne Fusion Boys Varsity soccer team. Halfway through the game, as I chased after a ball, I collided with a player on my left side and hit my head again. The headaches began the next day and have been a daily challenge ever since that second hit. When the headaches persisted even into the second month after the hit, my parents and I began a quest to find the best professional help we could from doctors all over the U.S. After visiting so many doctors, I found the most relief from Doctors of Chiropractic Medicine. Having experienced first-hand the incredible impact doctors can have on the lives of their patients, I am now pursuing a degree in the field of Chiropractic Medicine to bring healing and relief to the community where I will one day reside.
"As I work to join the ranks of doctors fighting to restore true health to communities all over the world, I aspire to treat a broader ethnic and cultural population in the community I will one day call my home," said Beyer. "In order to be a unique doctor in today’s ever-changing world, I have begun to focus on mastering a second language which will assist me in treating both English and Spanish speakers across the U.S. and even in other countries if need be.
"In all my experience visiting doctors, I have only encountered one or two who were bilingual. With the increasing growth of the Spanish-speaking population in the U.S., I have noticed a need for more bilingual doctors and would like to partner with other healthcare professionals in our nation to help increase the number of bilingual healthcare professionals in practice. In order to effectively serve the Spanish-speaking populations in our nation and be part of opening their access to healthcare, I will also be required to successfully communicate complicated medical information.
"In a five-week summer study abroad program to the Mexican university called the “Tec de Monterrey” in Querétaro I will be immersed in Mexico’s culture and primary language of Spanish. In Querétaro, I will complete two classes in Spanish. I will also live with a host family, eat meals with them, learn about their culture and traditions, and see what a southern Mexican home is like. Going abroad will quite possibly be the most impactful part of my entire education, and it will bring me closer to making my dreams of becoming a bilingual doctor a reality."