Student Spotlight: Kinesiology Graduate Luke Hayes Aims to Help People Through Physical Therapy

For Luke Hayes the decision to attend Utah State University came through seemingly small but momentous experiences.

Today, eight years after his first introduction to USU and in the wake of hard work and many rewarding experiences, he is moving forward on his path to serving the public through his work in physical therapy. Hayes graduated this week from the Emma Eccles Jones College of Education and Human Services with his bachelor’s degree, majoring in kinesiology with an emphasis in pre-physical therapy.

Hayes first visited the USU Logan campus when he participated in a high school basketball tournament as a sophomore living in Draper, Utah. Two years later, he applied for admission at the university.

“I had heard good things about USU from a lot of friends,” he said, “and it seemed like a place I could fit in. I considered attending USU, UCLA and BYU, but USU was the first I heard back from, and when I was accepted, it just felt right. I loved the location, and my scholarship helped make the financial side more appealing.”

However, Hayes opted to defer his education at USU for two years, deciding instead to participate in an experience abroad. It was there that the seeds of physical therapy work were planted.

“I didn’t always know I wanted to be a physical therapist,” he said. “My interest grew during my religious mission in Vanuatu, an island nation in the South Pacific, where I saw some of the locals use massage and strengthening exercises to regain mobility.”

After he returned home from Vanuatu and started his coursework at USU, Hayes began shadowing physical therapists, where he saw the impact of a diverse array of physical therapy settings, such as aquatic, wound care and pediatric.

Ultimately, Hayes’s decision to become a physical therapist was cemented when he assisted in aquatic therapy for children with cerebral palsy.

“At the beginning, many of the children struggled to get into the pool,” Hayes said, “but once they were in, they became enthusiastic and enjoyed the exercises, which were often formatted like games — diving for water torpedoes or seeing who could dive the deepest. It was awesome to see these activities lead to real-world improvements in their balance and overall quality of life outside the pool.”

As a kinesiology major at USU, Hayes found immense value in his classes, particularly the hands-on learning opportunities he experienced in the labs.

“I loved that many kinesiology courses had opportunities to showcase what you had learned with hands-on assignments and real-world situations,” he said.

He also discovered the vital difference between learning for the sake of learning and jumping through hoops to get the grade.

“A challenge for me was making sure I was working to learn and not working for a grade,” he said. “A couple of times I realized that even though I had a good grade in my class, I wasn’t really giving it my all. I made sure to change my method of learning to ensure I was getting the most out of the classes I took.”

In addition to completing his coursework, Hayes was a CEHS ambassador for the kinesiology program during his junior and senior years.

“I loved going to the high school events and talking with students who were just starting to figure out their paths,” he said. “USU has some really great opportunities in my program—as well as lots of others — and I enjoyed being able to share my experiences and helping students get excited about what was possible for them.”

He also enjoyed intramural sports and the Pre-PT club and took advantage of favorite outdoor activities such as fishing, hiking and mountain biking in and around Logan.

After graduation, Hayes will continue his education at Rocky Mountain University in Provo, Utah, in the Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) program. He plans to work as a physical therapist in underserved populations, but he’s an Aggie forever and will stay involved with USU, particularly through its sporting events.

“I plan to come back to USU with my family and watch some basketball games at the Spectrum,” he said.