Lone wolf finds his pack at AU

Aron's Comeback Story

At first, Aron Javier Rodriguez DPT’22 tried to “lone wolf it,” as he put it, at Alvernia University while pursuing his dream of a doctorate in physical therapy.

“I thought I could study hard, mind my own business,” said the 26-year-old, Bronx born-and-bred Dominican American. But he realized quickly, he said, that the rigorous Doctorate in Physical Therapy program demanded he join study groups and reach out to professors.

“I’m not going to lie to you,” he continued. “I was like a fish out of water. Only person from the Bronx. Only Hispanic person. I’m used to New York City, where there’s so much diversity. It was a bit of a culture shock.”

Still, Rodriguez made his comeback and found success—for nearly a year, he has worked as a physical therapist at JAG-ONE Physical Therapy in Yonkers, N.Y.—thanks in good part to Alvernia’s welcoming atmosphere. “I had to step out of my comfort zone and reach out to others in order to really succeed in this program,” he said. “That’s what I did. Everyone in school, faculty to fellow students, embraced me.”

At the white coat ceremony, Rodriguez received Alvernia’s Servant Leader Award for serving as an interpreter during clinicals with Reading’s Spanish-speaking community. “As physical therapists,” he said, recalling the speech he gave on the importance of servant leadership, “we have a responsibility to serve the community, serve patients, help them feel better. I encouraged my fellow classmates to keep learning, keep striving ahead, and always have the heart of the servant.”

Rodriguez has long had those qualities, choosing physical therapy as a profession to make an impact on others. As an undergraduate at City University of New York’s Herbert H. Lehman College, he found his passion for exercise, pursing both his own fitness journey and a major in kinesiology and exercise science even as he worked jobs on campus.

“When I was younger, I was always skinny,” he said. “I wanted to build some muscle. With exercise science, I learned how to do that properly. I want to have a good quality of life overall, and I want to help others have a good quality of life too and show them the importance of exercise.”

After graduating in 2018, Rodriguez continued to work on campus and save money before applying to graduate schools. He focused on New York state but added Alvernia to the list because it was near his father, who had moved recently to Reading.

Good thing. It turned out to be the only school that gave him an opportunity, he said, “to chase my dreams.”

During the three-year program, Rodriguez did clinicals in acute care at Reading Hospital and at PT practices outside Reading and in New York state, including JAG-ONE. Alvernia, he said, “went above and beyond,” making the New York rotations possible, even though the practices are not among the program’s usual partners.

Rodriguez said his experiences at Alvernia’s DPT program taught him much more than just the specifics of physical therapy. “I feel I’ve grown truly as an individual, as a therapist,” he said. “I was closed off and reserved in the beginning. I came out of my shell. I stepped out of my comfort zone. I’m very grateful for that.”