2023 Council Scholarship recipient George Tuttle says there’s one funny thing about studying physical therapy in grad school. All your friends want your advice about sore body parts. The Drummond, Wisconsin native says this happens all the time. “They’ll say, ‘This hurts. What do you think it is?’” His response is always the same. “I tell them I don’t know,” he chuckles. “Give me two years.” That’s when George will complete his Doctor of Physical Therapy degree.
It’s been a whirlwind college experience for George. He finished his undergraduate program in Health Care Administration at Carroll University in just three years, and he hasn’t let up on that speedy pace. George is taking neuroscience, physiology and anatomy courses all during the current semester. That’s in addition to classes in patient management and professional practices. And somehow, he also finds time to tutor students twice a week in physics.
“One day a week I sit in the library with a sign and any student with a question on physics can talk to me,” George says. “And one day a week I’ll have office hours in a classroom, and anyone can come.”
George is on course to finish his doctorate in 2026. Between now and then, in addition to intense classwork, he’ll complete three multi-week practicums in a clinical setting. He says he’s benefited already from off-campus work. Last summer he worked as a rehabilitation assistant at a medical center.
When asked what he believes is his greatest accomplishment so far in college George is quick to talk about how satisfying it was to complete his undergraduate degree. “No small task,” he says. He adds that there was also an important non-academic accomplishment at Carroll he was proud of, one that you could say allowed George to literally leave his mark on campus as a result of his successful advocacy.
“I was able to get all the curbs on campus painted yellow,” he says. “One day I was sick of tripping over things, so I emailed my advisor at student accessibility, and she was like, huh, I never thought about that.” The advisor put George in touch with the head of the campus grounds crew, to whom George pointed out all the curb trouble spots. “I came back at the end of that summer, and he told me they spent $16,000 on yellow paint,” George says. All the curbs were newly painted.
To students interested in applying for a Council Scholarship, George simply says, “Go for it. There’re are no downsides. Even if you don’t get the scholarship, the Council is always there for you, whether it’s monetary or not. Just putting your name on their radar helps.”
