Canadian Student Finds Academic Excellence and Welcoming Home at Northeast
Meet Kayla Ens.
Hometown: Waterloo, ON, Canada
Education: bachelor’s of kinesiology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, ON
Kayla Ens (D.C. '24) has an audacious dream. Someday, she would like to be a team chiropractor within the National Football League (NFL). Northeast College of Health Sciences has played a large part in bringing her closer to that dream.
Ens earned her undergraduate degree in kinesiology at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. Afterwards, she searched for a school close to her home country of Canada. "Northeast kept popping up as a school that matched my interests in terms of evidence-based curriculum," Ens said.
Ens thrives on her studies and has taken on greater responsibilities outside of the classroom. Taking a leadership role in the 2023 Student Government Association (SGA), Ens has received hands-on practice managing time-sensitive administrative tasks as the group’s secretary/treasurer.
Ens also had the chance to work with Northeast administration staff and with professors as part of different committees, practicing the type of management tasks she'll have when she is working on her own practice, whether it's at an NFL facility or another location.
"It’s given me the opportunity to work with students in other tris and clubs and effectively communicate with them what is expected of their role in SGA. I'm able to collaborate with others to provide the best experiences to the student body," Ens said.
How does Ens manage her multiple priorities each trimester? "At the beginning of the trimester I plan out my schedule down to the details: when things are due and when there’s electives or weekend seminars I want to take, “ Ens said. “Everything is written down and put into my calendar with reminders so I can keep ahead of my work."
It helps that her schedule varies little from week to week. "On top of that I follow a very similar routine every week, where I know when I have work, what times I can go to the gym, when I have intramurals and when I need to study for the week, allowing me to keep a good school-life balance."
After my interview with Dr. Marone, it solidified Northeast as the right choice for me. I’ve never had such an easy application process where the school helped along the entire process and made me feel extremely welcomed.
Quick Questions with Kayla Ens.
What does a typical school day look like for you?
I spend most days in class, and I also work at the school gym. This trimester I’m there for six hours during my breaks, two days a week. Work is a good chance to get some proper studying in during the day. After class, I usually go to the gym for a couple hours.
What is your favorite class? What class was your toughest?
Favorite class: Evidence Based Clinical Case Management. Toughest class: Neuroscience 1.
How do you feel like you are being prepared for your goals as a chiropractor?
The school does a great job at helping us put together the foundational knowledge into a clinical application. For me, being able to start learning how to adjust in our second trimester gave me more time to feel confident in my abilities as a clinician to recognize dysfunction in the spine and as an adjustor. On top of that, the school opens doors to a lot of opportunities to learn and find what you want to do as a chiropractor. Last year, with the school I attended the Pro Football Chiropractic Society (PFCS) annual seminar held in Indianapolis during the NFL Combine. That was one of the best learning opportunities and experiences to understand what it takes to be a sports chiropractor. Being able to have access to opportunities and experiences like this is helping me find the right path to what I want to be as a sports chiropractor and how to achieve it.
What does a day off look like for you in the Finger Lakes? How do you enjoy the winter months here at Northeast?
During the nicer months, I fully take advantage of the beautiful nature that the Finger Lakes has to offer. Every week this summer, I found hiking spots within a two-hour drive and would spend a couple hours hiking and exploring. I didn’t do this during my first year and it was something I wanted to experience before I left for the Long Island clinic, as the hiking and the nature around here is so incredibly beautiful.
