Inspiring Future Doctors

Growing up, Darwin Sandoval, DPT ’26, didn’t think much about higher education. 

After high school, he dabbled in trade school and community college courses before returning to work alongside his parents who have been laborers on a blueberry farm since immigrating to the United States from Mexico in the 1980s. 

It wasn’t until he attended a physical therapy appointment with his mother that he realized he could fill a need for his community. 

“I was at the appointment to translate for my mom, who doesn’t speak English, and I noticed that none of the physical therapists really looked like us or could speak Spanish,” Sandoval explains. 

He began to research the field and learned that at that time, only 3-5% of physical therapists were Hispanic. He wanted to increase that number.

“I knew that if there had been someone who spoke Spanish at her practice, my mom would have had better care and felt more comfortable,” Sandoval says. “That, coupled with seeing all of my parents’ hard work and sacrifice, was the start of me going back to school.” 

At 24, Sandoval began his coursework in health sciences at Camden County College before transferring to Stockton University. He earned his undergraduate degree there, then came to Saint Joseph’s for his doctorate in physical therapy. 

“I had such a great experience with the faculty and felt like I could talk to them about anything,” Sandoval says. “Right away, students above me introduced me to the BIPOC Club, which helped me feel more comfortable as a first-generation student. I knew I wasn’t the only one in that boat and there were people all around who could relate to me.” 

He graduated in January and was the recipient of the Margie Roos PT Faculty Award, given in honor of the late faculty member and awarded to a student who demonstrates excellent performance in research, academics and clinical practice.

“Darwin was always the first to raise his hand and answer questions in classes,” says Barbara L. Kellar, PT, MS, DPT, Co-DCE, a clinical assistant professor of physical therapy and a co-director of clinical education. “He embodies the core values of the American Physical Therapy Association and we are all proud to call him our peer in this profession.” 

Sandoval hopes to be the advocate he wishes his mother had during her treatment. He is currently studying for his board exam, after which he’ll begin working at Woodstown Physical Therapy and Sports Rehab where he completed a clinical rotation. 

“I’ve already spoken to the owner of the facility about ways we can better serve the Spanish-speaking population,” Sandoval says. 

He also hopes to encourage other Latino and Hispanic students to consider higher education and careers in medicine. 

“I have young nieces and nephews and I want to be able to inspire them, but even outside of that, I want to be a source of inspiration to my community,” Sandoval says. “I noticed a lot of my classmates from home and even people younger than me weren’t pursuing higher education because we didn’t have that type of guidance or support to push us in that direction, and I want to be that for people. The response from the community has been really heartwarming.”