Derek, a gap year journeyman, is working and learning as a Physical Therapist Aide and exercise specialist at Therapeutic Associates in Sellwood. He is fairly new to the Pacific Northwest, as he was born and raised in the small suburb of Arcadia, California, just outside of Los Angeles. He then punched his ticket to the Pacific Northwest when he declared his attendance to the University of Oregon in 2018, where he majored in Human Physiology, graduating in 2022. The toughest adjustment for Derek to make was the extreme weather difference, as he was used to blue skies and sun 24/7. He was told what to expect when it comes to the rain in Eugene, but he definitely was not prepared. After a good 4 years in Eugene, he slowly but surely began to adapt to the rain and somehow is beginning to tolerate it. He is currently residing in Portland for his gap year as he works on his Physical Therapy School applications.
Growing up Derek was always involved in sports and was obsessed with being active. He played both baseball and basketball, but mainly focused on baseball during high school. During his freshman year of high school he was accidentally enrolled in a sports medicine class. Which turned out to be the best accident of his young life, because this is where the passion for physical therapy stemmed.
Some of Derek’s hobbies include playing pickup basketball, losing balls on the golf course, going to the gym and exploring the adolescent (to him) city of Portland. Some of his passions include watching the 2023 NBA champions, the Los Angeles Lakers, fantasy football, going out with friends and complaining to locals about how much it rains in Oregon.
