Kyle W. Feldman ’11, ’14 feels it is important to give back to Shenandoah.
SU did so much to help provide me experiences, friends, opportunities and growth that I could not pay SU back any more than giving time and money. I pack a few extra lunches each month and after a few months I am able to send a few dollars back to the school that helped to send me out of the country twice, allowed me to keep playing football past high school and learn more about the beautiful Shenandoah Valley.”
Despite his obvious passion for Shenandoah University now, Feldman almost did not attend SU. As a prospective student, he arrived for a tour of campus on a wet, dreary day. This first impression shaped Feldman’s perception of the university and he didn’t even get out of the car to go on his scheduled tour. Luckily, he came back to campus on a different day and eventually did end up going on the tour and falling in love with SU’s campus.
From this experience, Feldman knows how important first impressions are to prospective students. Something as trivial as the weather can shape perception, so it is important that the university exudes a warm, welcoming feel before students even step on campus. In the upcoming year, Feldman is excited to see the progress on Shenandoah’s perimeter project, entrance to campus, junior and senior residence hall and athletic facilities. These projects will ensure the structure of the campus is representative of the learning, opportunity and family atmosphere that exists inside the walls…now we just need to figure out how to control that pesky weather.
In high school, Feldman had the opportunity to complete an internship through the gifted and talented program. The program allowed him to learn and shadow working chiropractors and from this experience, he decided to apply for the accelerated 3+3 Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at SU.
During his time as a student, Feldman played slot receiver for the Hornet football team and was named Academic All-American during his senior year. If excellence in academics and football were not enough to keep his schedule busy, Feldman also participated in several medical mission trips and started the group SUPT Thrive (Shenandoah University Physical Therapy). Beginning with just three students who had a desire to provide rehabilitation services to those in need, SUPT Thrive has grown to a group of 60-plus students and has sent students on mission trips to Kenya, Panama, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Haiti. Feldman has also taught internationally, lecturing at a physiotherapy conference in Ghana, teaching a course in Haiti and traveling to Kenya to mentor Kenyan therapists in orthopedic manual therapy.
Feldman completed a one-year orthopedic residency program through UVA-HealthSouth at PRO Physical Therapy in Winchester. He also spent one year in Chicago completing an orthopedic manual therapy fellowship at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Upon completion of his fellowship, he returned to Winchester to work as a physical therapist and assist in the Doctorate of Physical Therapy program at Shenandoah University.
In 2019, Feldman became division head of ReShape Physical Therapy in Winchester, Virginia. He is in charge of growing a physical therapy model that improves access and care for musculoskeletal pain.