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Kayla Marchesani didn’t initially plan to attend The 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ University, but a campus visit changed her mind. Captivated by the community and inspired by biology classes that highlighted God91ɫ��Ƭ design, she discovered her passion for medicine. After deciding to pursue a career as a physician assistant, she appreciated the flexibility it offered, enabling her to balance her career and family life. Reflecting on her time at TMU, Kayla cherishes the supportive professors, biblical worldview, and strong sense of community that shaped her journey.

There are students at The 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ University who knew for years before coming that they wanted to attend TMU, and who knew exactly what they wanted to study. Kayla Marchesani was not one of those students.

“91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ was not at the top of my list,” Kayla said with a small laugh. “I had quite a few schools ahead of it in my mind. But when I came and visited 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ . . . I knew pretty immediately that it was a special place.”

When she visited her top pick school, she felt a nagging lack of peace. In contrast, when she spent time on TMU91ɫ��Ƭ campus and got to know the soccer team, she found herself wanting more.

“91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ kind of stole my heart.”

When she showed up on campus her freshman year, she was passionate about soccer and intrigued by 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ, but she wasn’t sure which major she wanted to choose. However, she enjoyed science, and she signed up to take several classes in the Biology department her first two semesters.

“Being in biology classes—seeing the human body and its anatomy—I was just amazed by what God created. And I thought, ‘I could study this forever.’”

By the end of her first year, Kayla was committed to pursuing a Biology degree. But there was still the question of what to do with it after.

“Probably midway through my second year at 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ, I knew I wanted to go into medicine, and I was toying with the idea of being an MD . . . It was a combination of having a brain for science, and enjoying it, but also really liking people.” Of all the possible outlets for her love of science, medicine seemed the most social.

Around this time, Kayla began learning more about the possibility of becoming a physician assistant. PAs, while having more training and autonomy than nurses, don’t need to go through the same protracted residency process that doctors do. They also don’t need to specialize, meaning that a PA can work on a wide variety of cases throughout their career.

Kayla was excited about the idea of having so much flexibility. As she approached her final year at 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ, she decided that this was what she wanted to work towards. After graduation, she moved to Boston for PA school. A year later, she married Jake Marchesani (a fellow 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ student), and he moved out to join her.

Now Kayla and her husband live in Colorado Springs with their two young daughters, and she is more grateful than ever for the flexibility of being a PA.

“I’m still able to be a mom and give that my all . . . If I was going the MD route, I would still be a resident and wouldn’t even have my first job!”

However, as thankful as Kayla is for her career, she has especially warm gratitude for her time at 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ.

“It was such a wonderful experience . . . I felt such a sense of community and home, being alongside people that love the Lord and love others.”

Kayla remembered one moment in particular that encapsulated this feeling. One day during her freshman year, she was in a chemistry lab with the late Dr. Taylor Jones. She asked him a question, and while he was in the middle of responding, he knelt down, tied Kayla91ɫ��Ƭ shoe, and then continued on as though such a thing were totally normal.

“I was just stunned. I could not believe that a professor of chemistry cared that much . . . It blew my mind, and that has stuck with me ever since.” She compared that to the undergrad experience of people she met in PA school, who often never truly met their professors, let alone had an interaction like that.

“That really went for all of the Biology department. There wasn’t a single professor I had that wasn’t willing to answer questions—and always with such a biblical worldview. When it comes to science, I think that it91ɫ��Ƭ just so important to be able to see God in every aspect.”

Reflecting on her years at 91ɫ��Ƭ91ɫ��Ƭ, Kayla concluded with this: “We had it so good, and it91ɫ��Ƭ important to take advantage of that. Looking back, it was such a special time. Obviously, it was very busy, and there91ɫ��Ƭ always something to draw your attention. But try to take it all in and enjoy everything that91ɫ��Ƭ available.”

“I sometimes think, if I could go back and do it all over again, would I? I totally would.”