A natural choice
Serena was born with Erb’s Palsy, a paralysis in the arm, and was cared for by alternative healthcare practitioners from day dot, with her parents initially seeking advice from an osteopath for her newborn condition “It’s always been a mindset of my family to seek alternative methods to healthcare.”
As a child she got into the sport of trampolining, a discipline she now represents NZ internationally in, and started receiving regular chiropractic care as part of her personal injury care and prevention plan. She connected with her current chiropractor, Dr Sandy Bansal, when he started sponsoring her trampolining team and, after developing huge respect for his work over the years, says it felt like a natural progression to explore a career in chiropractic when the time came to choose a career path for herself.
Landing on her feet
Alexa admits to initially choosing to study at the New Zealand Chiropractic College because, being from South Auckland, it was the convenient choice. “It wasn’t until I got to the college that I realised how lucky I was to be here!” Now she’s here she feels a pull towards chiropractic research. “I want to be involved in the progression of the profession. I want others to know how amazing chiropractic is.”
Alexa is currently supporting research at the college by being a research subject and hopes to join future projects as a Research Assistant. She says her chiropractic path so far has felt completely right for her “Every step is opening my eyes to how much I am meant to be here.”
Finding balance
Alexa says she’s often asked how she balances her international trampolining career with studying at NZCC, but says she’s so committed to both that fitting everything in is not an issue. “I have two passions and if you have a passion for something, you make it work.”
Aligning values
For others exploring chiropractic study, Alexa recommends individuals consider their own values and find somewhere that feels right. She believes NZCC does well at catering for a wide range of individual needs and attracts people with its vitalistic approach. “It is important to understand the whole wellbeing of a human being before you can give them proper care and the NZCC teaches that really well.”
Back on the international stage
Alexa is already experienced in representing NZ with her sport, and she’s keen to do the same with her chiropractic skills after she graduates. Intent on putting her British passport to use, Alexa plans to immerse herself in as many different cultures as she can and wants to lend her chiropractic expertise to communities around the world. She says she’s also really excited to visit with her current Canadian classmates, with whom she’s formed close bonds, once they’ve graduated and returned home.