ONWARD SENIORS: Physical therapy meant a helping hand for Schock

MINOT, N.D. – For senior Brady Schock, one thing is clear: He wants to help people.

Schock, originally from Towner, came to Minot State because it was close to home, and he wanted to save money before attending grad school.

While some students have a hard time deciding what career to follow, Schock was certain in what he wanted to do.

“I always wanted to be a physical therapist because I just love helping others,” he said.

Having gone through physical therapy himself, Schock wants to give back in the same way he was helped.

“I know that people, when they go to a physical therapist, they're obviously there because they need some sort of help, and to be able to cure that, that's what I want,” he said.

As part of his exercise science and rehabilitation program, Schock works closely with older adults in a course focused on exercise programming.

“One day a week, we go and train people who are sixty-plus. It’s more or less to get experience with people that might have comorbidities,” he said. “So that when we're in our professional field, we've maybe had experience with someone who's got high blood pressure or had a stroke, and now you need to be more careful with these individuals when you're training them.”

Schock explains that the whole point is making an appropriate program that accommodates their health needs.

“We're paired up with the same person for seven weeks to train them. The guy I've been with, he's great,” he remembered with a smile. “I loved every second. Older people are just generally funny, and so it's been a great experience for me. I got lucky, I don't have to adjust my program as much just because he's a fairly healthy individual.”

Moreover, Schock spent the last two years at university working as a resident assistant (RA).

“Being an RA has been amazing,” he said. “I've gotten to know so many different people on campus just because of it. It has helped build my personality, and I just get to know others, and they get to know me, and that builds a great environment.”

Another way Schock continued to meet people and build community was by working at the Minot State Wellness Center.

“It's kind of similar to the RA job where I get to see familiar faces all the time, and I get to know a few different people. Maybe I don't try as hard to get to know people there. I should try a little bit harder,” he said with a chuckle.

Additionally, he loves the atmosphere at his job at the wellness center.

“It's so fun,” he said. “Everyone that I work with there is great. We all have the same interests. And the boss is great too, Paul (Wellness Center director Paul Brekke). We love Paul.”

One of Schock’s favorite activities was participating in the Wellness Center intramurals.

“I like participating in sports,” he said. “That's probably just my favorite thing in general to do.”

He has participated in volleyball, basketball, and bowling. He even mentioned winning the 2025 bowling intramurals.

“That was pretty fun,” he said. “I guess probably the biggest [memory] would be that I've gotten to bowl with a guy named Nikita Neyshtadt for four years. Being able to bowl with him every single year has been pretty fun.”

Now that his time at MSU is coming to an end, Schock is ready for the next step. He got accepted at the University of Mary in Bismarck, where he will complete his master's degree.

Finally, what Shock has found the most satisfying is putting in the work for the more demanding courses.

“I think every year I've had one class where I've had to adjust and spend more time than I ever thought that I would on that specific class,” he said. “Just being able to continue to adjust from, let's say, the 100 level classes all the way to the 400 level classes has been tremendous growth for me.”

Schock cherishes the community he found at MSU.

“I've loved every second at Minot State, even when there are difficult times,” he said. “I mean, the people here are just amazing. Everyone here is willing to help you in some aspect. And that's truly what makes Minot State so great.”