5/17/12
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Kristin Beale '12 works out with her trainer, Sheila Grant,
several times a week. |
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Beale: "The people at R-MC make all the difference." |
“It took me a little bit longer than most to transition into college and living away from my parents,” says Randolph-Macon College student
Kristin Beale ’12. “The people at R-MC make all the difference. They genuinely care about students. When I go to class and hear my name called out by a faculty member from across the street, I feel great, and it's wonderful to know that I can be anywhere on campus and run into someone I know."
Real-World Experience Beale, a
psychology major from Richmond, Virginia, is currently doing an
internship at the Recovery Acceptance Friendship Teamwork (RAFT) House, a psychosocial treatment center in Hanover, Virginia that offers services for adults with mental disabilities.
“I found the internship with the help of professors in the Psychology Department, who referred me to the Hanover Community Services Board, where I found out about RAFT,” she says. “I look forward to going to RAFT on Fridays because it’s parallel to what I want my career to entail: clinical psychology and counseling.”
Campus Life On campus, Beale is very active in Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, an organization that fosters the sharing of common ideas, problems and challenges. Activities include meetings, prayer, athletic events and retreats. Beale, who is on the leadership team for ICF, leads a weekly Bible-study group.
Future Plans In 2005, Beale was in a jet-ski accident, and since that time, she has made it her goal to get back the sensation and movement in her legs.
“I’m planning on walking across the stage with a walker at
Commencement to get my diploma and I’ve been working like crazy to make that happen,” she says.
In November 2011, Beale competed in the New York Marathon, and in October 2012 she will compete in the Marine Corps Marathon. She says Michael Murphy ’08 has been a tremendous help when it comes to training.
“By the time I did the New York race, he had already completed several marathons,” she says. “We talked a lot before and after the race, and he is an awesome friend. We hope to get together to do some training rides after I graduate.”
Beale also plans on taking some time after graduation to concentrate on her physical therapy/rehabilitation and get ready for a clinical trial involving the use of stem cells to cure spinal cord injuries.
“I am very excited about that,” she says. “Also, I am thinking of moving to San Diego, California to work out at a gym that I have been going to since I was injured. I’ve gone there every summer and have regained a lot of movement and sensation—much more than the doctors originally thought possible. I’ve been accomplishing that in month-long trips, so just imagine what I could do if I moved there.”
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