Melissa King

Wow, already a year in to Chiropractic College… Where does the time go?!?! 

Where to begin?  I am a happily married lady, I have a super wonderful set of parents and in-laws, a rockstar younger sister, and I love to read.  My favorite quote is “It is not our abilities that show what we truly are.  It is our choices.”  ~AD

I came to Chiropractic at the prodding of my husband, who grew up going to a chiropractor instead of an MD.  I was having a bad hip problem and was popping Aleve twice a day for two weeks with no improvement.  To keep it short, he took me to the chiropractor, I got one adjustment, and I have not had a hip problem since.  True story.

I really enjoy being here at Palmer.  My focus in school is sports chiropractic and maybe neurology.  I’m still trying to figure it all out :)  In the mean time, I am very blessed to have found such wonderful friends as these four girls!  I hope that you enjoy our site, and I look forward to hearing from you!

Jenn Riley

Hello everybody, welcome to our blog! I hope we are able to inspire and educate people on the power of chiropractic through the various topics and research we will be sharing.  

My name is Jenn, I’m a Jersey Girl but a Floridian at heart! I attended The University of South Florida where I graduated from The College of Medicine with a degree in Athletic Training. I am a certified Athletic Trainer and plan to incorporate that degree into my chiropractic practice. 

My reason for pursuing a career in chiropractic was inspired by an experience my fiancé, Marshall, had while in college. He is a football player and was injured during a game. He lost nearly all sensory and motor innervation in his right arm. Numerous orthopedic surgeons and specialists told him he would never play football again or even be able to lift his arm. He never lost hope and with his drive alongside a chiropractor that believed in him, he was healed after two months under chiropractic care. His story alone allowed me to understand how powerful a chiropractor could be in a person’s life and encouraged me to begin my chiropractic journey. 

At this time, I am very young in my chiropractic education but still have an idea of the areas I would like to focus on in the future. I absolutely want to work in sports but also have a strong passion for nutrition as well as pediatrics. I see myself having a wellness type practice that emphasizes areas such as diet and nutrition as well as therapeutic exercise and home exercise programs. My ultimate goal is to touch as many lives as possible and do my part in improving the health of our society as a whole. 

 “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13

Lydia Crist

Hi everyone!  My name is Lydia.  I was born in Butler, Pennsylvania, but I have also lived in Indiana, Kansas, Florida, and Illinois.

In undergrad, I majored in biology, and I’m still madly in love with it.  I am every bit a bio nerd, complete with useless, random facts.

I was first introduced to chiropractic during the summer I turned 19.  I had knee surgery that previous January and was still having some problems.  My knee hurt, my hip hurt, and once I started my summer job that involved standing all day, my lower back started to hurt.  My dad suggested I go see his chiropractor.  I felt better almost immediately after I started going.  After a couple months of going 2 or 3 times a week, I was feeling great.  Basically, soccer killed my joints, and chiropractic has been the only relief.

Because my soccer injury was what initially brought me to chiropractic, I’m currently being drawn to sports chiropractic.  Athletes are awesome people.  I’m also really attracted to  many of the soft tissue techniques because of the applicability to sports.

A random fact?  I know the difference between a turtle, a tortoise, and a terrapin.  Bio nerd, remember?

Lauren Gomes

Hi everyone, my name is Lauren and I am from Sterling Heights, Michigan.  Currently I am living in Florida with the rest of the girls on this blog, and I am definitely enjoying the change in temperature from the cold Michigan winters.

I graduated from Michigan State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.  I had always been interested in sports and working with athletes and sports injuries. I had originally planned to attend Medical School to become an orthopedic surgeon.

My plans for medical school changed after I was first introduced to chiropractic three years ago working in the office of a Palmer College of Chiropractic graduate in Rochester Hills, Michigan.  I had the opportunity to see many patients who benefited from chiropractic care as well as receive chiropractic care for myself.  While I was working there I had injured my back to the point where it was painful to walk, as I had done many times before and was never able to have complete relief.  After a few weeks of continued chiropractic care I was back on my feet with no problems and have never had a reoccurrence.  So not only has my experience at the office helped me with my back problems, but it helped me to make the decision to move to Florida and attend Palmer.

I am continuing to learn and will always continue to learn about different areas in chiropractic and I am still determining which is the best fit for me.  As of right now, I have a strong passion for working with children and having a family based practice.

An interesting fact about me is that after I graduated from Michigan State University I lived and attended school in St. Maarten for 6 months, an experience that I will never forget.

Shannon Turek

Hi my name is Shannon Turek born and raised in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I graduated from Florida Atlantic University with my Bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. I have always had an interest in health and exercise so I knew chiropractic was the right path for me. I love what chiropractic is and everything about it. I have had a lot of experience with chiropractors growing up due to my father’s disability. I have seen what a chiropractor is capable of doing and I have seen how they have improved my father’s life. I want to be able to help people improve their health and well-being and help them function to their maximum capability.

I am still discovering the different areas in chiropractic, but some areas that interest me include pediatrics, nutrition and exercise and soft tissue just to name a few. I plan to learn more about these areas as well as different techniques throughout these next couple of years at Palmer. I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for the support of my wonderful husband. It has been a long journey for the both of us and I am just so excited to see what our future has in store. 

One interesting thing about myself that I will share with you all is that my husband and I hiked down the Grand Canyon, it was an amazing and rewarding experience that I would love to do again!