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STUDENT PROFILE: ADAM L., APPLIED HEALTH SCIENCES, CLASS OF 2017.

Finding the balance between the art of dance and the science of movement as a UIC undergraduate. 

The sound of hip-hop music floats through the air in the multi-purpose room of the university’s Student Recreation Facility where I caught up with Adam Loh, a third-year student from Palatine, IL. 

Adam transferred to UIC from Harper College last semester to become a Physical Therapist after completing his bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Exercise Science and Health Promotion. 

Adam’s first semester included courses in Introductory Biology and Applied Muscular Anatomy, which he described as “fun, but hard”. This semester, Adam is taking Motor Control and Learning - which he believes is full of useful information for the real world. Adam says “all of the methods of teaching coordination on how the motor system works is applicable - and the transition between the two is clear” - and he would know, as a former martial arts instructor. 

But Adam is doing more than just taking classes here on campus. He recently founded an unofficial break-dance club known as UIC Breakerz.  Adam hopes to formalize the club soon to get more students to join. He thinks the club can offer lessons in primary positions and moves for beginners and advanced power moves for experienced dancers - and teach everyone about the culture of dance as well. (Interested? Follow the club here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1132880590069179/?fref=t)

In addition to learning how to dance, allowing the lifestyle of dance to course through each person and how to express one’s individuality and start “dancing from within” are goals Adam hopes to instill within each member.

While I was asking him about the parallels between dancing and college education, I came to discover that dance and school share more commonalities than I previously thought. Adam states that the fundamental qualities that make the “best of you stand out” include “a mix of hard work ethic, effort, concentration, and creativity.” 

About his perspective on UIC in general, Adam says, “you meet tons of people, lots of students here in the heart of Chicago and create many networking options,” and that these all help him communicate well with new people with “different circumstances”. “When you try and understand other people’s problems, the emotions that talking with that person created translate into the emotions you feel when dancing,” the energetic, young man mentioned.

It's clear that in this case, interests or hobbies like dancing can be a reservoir of wisdom and knowledge that helps inform your coursework.