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Becoming a physical therapist is personal for Raya Coley G’25. The former college basketball player suffered three ACL tears during her time in the sport and noticed a trend she wanted to change.

“As I was recovering, I wasn’t seeing many Black women, if any, that were in that field working with me,” she said. “I wanted to be that version of what I wasn’t seeing within my time as a patient.”

A home away from home

So, when it came time to find a Doctor of Physical Therapy program, it needed to be personal, too. A Raleigh native, Coley had heard about ������Ƶ’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program, but it wasn’t until she came to campus that she felt an immediate connection.

“As soon as I stepped foot on campus and even through the interview process, it just felt like home,” Coley said. “I was looking for a home away from home, and ������Ƶ was.”

Coley earned her undergraduate degree in physical education with a concentration in exercise science from Coker University. Now, she will graduate in December as part of ������Ƶ’s School of Health Sciences winter commencement with a goal “to be an innovator, be a model and be what I didn’t get to see as a patient.”

All first-year DPT students participate in research, but Coley found her niche early. She joined ������Ƶ’s athletic testing group, working with Division I athletes on data collection and analysis.

“I fell in love with it so much that I decided to stay on for the next two years,” she said. “We’ve been able to make some pivotal progress and put some thoughts into the world about returning to sport, ACL information and everything from that capacity.”

Coley’s clinical rotations took her across the East Coast, including outpatient orthopedics in North Carolina, neuroscience in the medical respiratory ICU in Richmond, Virginia, and outpatient neurorehabilitation. Her final, and longest, clinical was for 16 weeks at Rehab 2 Perform in Germantown, Maryland. She calls it an “experience of a lifetime.”

Learning through service

������Ƶ’s curriculum design, which blends classroom learning with immediate clinical application, prepared her well.

“The orthopedics module was my favorite part of PT school,” she said. “That’s the first area where we feel like real student PTs. We spent eight months before ortho learning a bunch of different skills without knowing how to apply it, and then we kind of got to put it all together.”

But Coley made it a priority to stay engaged beyond academics.

“It’s really easy for students when they get into PT school to say, ‘School is going to be the main thing I focus on,’” she said. “But I have been able to do so much more than I thought I was going to be capable of.”

She volunteered with the Hope Clinic (Help Outreach Program of ������Ƶ), pro bono clinics managed by the program for underserved populations in the Alamance County community. Coley also tutored fellow students and served on the DEI Committee. She even helped launch a food pantry connected to Hope Clinic’s weekly services at the Dream Center.

“It was such an amazing experience,” she said. “Just seeing the amount of impact within the community. It meant the world to me.”

Grace, intellect and empathy

Faculty mentorship played a significant role in her experience. “������Ƶ does an excellent job of just having professors be pretty accessible,” Coley said. “Whenever I needed something, I knew I could knock on a door.”

“Raya Coley embodies everything we hope for our graduates—grace, intellect and empathy,” said Crystal Ramsey, associate professor of physical therapy education. “She has quietly built a legacy that reaches far beyond the classroom, redefining what it means to lead through service. Whether tutoring peers, supporting patients, or strengthening community outreach, Raya leads with humility, compassion, and conviction. Her impact will continue to inspire those who have the privilege to learn from and work alongside her.”

While the academics were rigorous, Coley said the relationships she formed were the most lasting part of her ������Ƶ experience.

“I have made the best friends that I will take for a lifetime,” she said. “I don’t feel like I’m just graduating with cohort members or colleagues. I feel like I’m graduating with 44 other friends.”

Next comes preparation for her licensure exam, a process she expects to take 10 to 12 weeks. As she prepares for graduation, Coley is keeping her options open, but hopefully she will earn a spot in ������Ƶ’s sports physical therapy residency, giving back to the community that helped her grow.”

“I think opportunities are endless and that’s exciting,” she said. “I want to be somewhere where I can make the most impact and serve in the greatest capacity.”