Dr. Stephen White, PT, DPT, GCS, is a classic story of local boy made good. Growing up in Mapleton and graduating from Springville High, Stephen moved to Oregon and Colorado to become a well-trained, multi-certified physical therapist. After 10 years away, an opportunity to teach at Rocky Mountain University and run the school’s Community Rehabilitation Center in Provo gave him and his family a chance to reconnect with their Mapleton roots and move back. Now, he spends his work time training the next generation and meeting the physical therapy needs of numerous low-income and uninsured community members. He can also be found at his children’s games or running in half marathons.
Plot Twist After leaving Utah Valley several years ago, I was not sure we would ever come back. We were very surprised and excited when the opportunity came our way to return home to Utah Valley.
Hero’s Journey When I graduated, I was stressed about paying off my student loans. Physical therapy school is not cheap and the stress weighed on me daily. We moved our family to a rural area in Colorado near the Kansas border. We were far from family, friends and city luxuries. We would travel more than three hours to get things we needed for our home, activities or for medical appointments. I took on additional jobs to make additional payments and spent a lot of time working. With time, I repaid my loans and we came to love the area and the people who live in the area.
Character Backstory I am a certified BBQ taste-testing judge through the Kansas City BBQ Society.
Storybook World Unashamedly, I’d pick Harry Potter. We are big Harry Potter fans in our family and I would love to attend Hogwarts. I guess I could not be a PT anymore if I did, though. I’m sure I could find a good magical job. Working at Fred and George’s joke shop sounds pretty fun.
Life Genre “Choose Your Own Adventure.” I don’t feel tied down by anything specific at this point in my life. I am eager to find where I can become the best healthcare provider, father and community member I can. It’s exciting making new decisions each day as they are presented and seeing what life has to behold — the good, the difficult and the unknown.
The Sequel In five to 10 years, I hope I am still doing new things. The spice of life for me is novelty and change. This is one of the reasons I love teaching!