![Gabbie Stallbaum](/sites/default/files/styles/944width/public/images/news-images/Gabbie%20Stallbaum.OAC%20Scholar%20Athlete%20of%20the%20Month%20for%20web.3-24.png?itok=uD1yl-sl)
脚踏实地.
It's the mantra for 澳门银河网站 softball player Gabbie Stallbaum, the 俄亥俄州 Athletic 会议 Scholar Athlete of the Month, 印刷概念呈现.
这是斯托鲍姆的口头禅, a health science major and psychology minor, uses to focus her attention on the task at hand. Sometimes her feet are in the left-handed batter's box at Frann's Field. Or standing in the HU's George Barlow Body Donor Lab, learning about human anatomy. And, for a few harrowing stints, her feet were in a hospital bed in Indianapolis.
Stallbaum prefers to have her feet in the batter's box, where she feels at home. Playing collegiate softball is the byproduct of more than a decade of travel ball, 经常和她爸爸在一起, 泰德, 在她身边指导.
Her time and dedication has paid off. During her freshman year, she set a program record with 28 walks. After sophomore year, Stallbaum was tabbed as an All-OAC Honorable Mention, batting .321, including a team-high five home runs. This season, her junior year, Stallbaum is off to an even hotter start.
But for Stallbaum, it wasn't easy getting to this point. 她13岁的时候, she was diagnosed with a Chiari Malformation, where the brain tissue extends into the spinal column. The condition adversely affected her sleeping patterns, and -- if left untreated -- could have impacted her mobility. With the diagnosis came a plethora of surgeries, in which Stallbaum had to miss out on months of academic and social experiences that others often taken for granted at that age.
“幸运的是, I was always having my surgeries in just enough time for the softball season,斯托尔鲍姆说, 波尔丁人, 俄亥俄州. "Playing softball was my drive to recover and get better."
The time Stallbaum spent with her feet in hospital-issued, non-slip socks during her treatment also had a profound impact on her life. 她的妈妈, Camie, 是一个物理治疗师, 还有她的妹妹, Haleigh, 是一名护士, which fostered a lifelong appreciation for people in the medical field. Interacting with numerous doctors, 医师助理, nurses and therapists throughout her surgeries and treatments, Stallbaum knew she wanted to pursue a career in the health sciences. The opportunity to play softball in a tight-knit community that resembled Paulding, coupled with Heidelberg's success in preparing students for medical school, 让她选择了伯格.
While her feet are on the colorful tiled floor in Bareis and Gillmor Science Halls, she has made the most of the academic opportunities available on campus and gained plenty of experience to support her desire to pursue a career as a physician's assistant. Notably, her anatomy and physiology courses held in the cadaver lab have made a lasting impact.
"Dr. Pam Faber's classes in the cadaver lab have helped me build my skills as I get ready for graduate school,斯托尔鲍姆说, who also credits athletic training professors Dr. Jena Suffel and Lauren McGraw for helping her navigate the sometimes-tricky path to med school. “如果我保持好成绩的话, I'll be able to register for the Prosection class, where I'll actually have a chance to dissect the cadaver. That's an opportunity most people don't get in undergrad."
Inspired by the professionals who helped her, she hopes to potentially work with rehabbing athletes in the future. To fulfill some of her requirements through Heidelberg's HYPE Career Ready® program, she stayed on campus last summer and split her time shadowing a PA at Mercy Hospital in 吃午饭 and working for HU's conferences and events team.
Balancing her academic demands with the rigors of playing college softball at a high level hasn't been easy, 但斯托尔鲍姆成功了.
"Just be where your feet are and take a deep breath,斯托尔鲍姆说. "Break things down, step-by-step, and don't let things pile up. 这就是成功之路."