Student of the Month January 2021 Brittany

JANUARY 2021

My name is Brittany Madden and I would like to thank the CASA for
selecting me as their student member of the month for January 2021.

I was born in Johannesburg and matriculated from St Dominic’s School
for Girls in 2014. I played netball from the age of 9 till 18 and was
also a gymnast when I was younger. I was always running around,
climbing trees, doing handstands on repeat and just enjoyed being
active in various forms.

I am nearing the end of my chiropractic journey, and oh what a ride
it has been! My path to chiropractic started pretty early on for me
because both my uncle and aunt (Brenton and Katie Pinkus) practice
chiropractic in Vermont, USA. Whenever they visited, the first thing I
would say to them was “Please give me your bear-hug adjustment and
click my neck too”. I remember my entire family waiting in line for our
treatment almost immediately after they stepped off the plane. In 2013,
I was fortunate enough to travel with my grandparents to visit them in America for a month. Their practice
is located on the ground floor of their house so we spent a lot of time there. I observed them interacting
with their patients and listened to them as they explained how their business was managed. I was treated
twice a week at their practice and I felt great after each session, feeling very sad that I wouldn’t be
receiving treatment when I arrived back in South Africa.

I then decided to contact a family friend (Dr Diana Petersen) who was a chiropractor and she treated
me for a few sessions. I asked her many questions about chiropractic, which she answered with such
a passion for the profession. At that stage in my life, I was interested in studying veterinary science
but over time, my decision slowly switched to chiropractic. During one of my treatment sessions with
Diana, I remember that she said to me “Just apply, you’ve got
nothing to lose.” That very day, I started researching and told
my mom that I was thinking of applying for chiropractic at UJ.
I applied at UJ late in the year 2014 and attended the very
last set of interviews. I recall being nervous but was so relieved
and overwhelmed when I walked out of there and said to my
mom “They accepted me!” The more research I did, the more
fascinated I became at the idea of helping people relieve their
pain in a non-invasive way and without the use of medication.

During my chiropractic degree so far, I have learnt time
management, communication skills, how to be more dedicated
with studies and gained confidence when speaking to strangers.
I have thoroughly enjoyed the chiropractic course at UJ and
in 2019, I became a member of the Golden Key International
Honour Society based on my 4th year results. This has also
opened many doors for me and I am truly grateful that my hard
work paid off.

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JANUARY 2021

Towards the end of 2019, I was honoured to become the WCCS (World Congress of Chiropractic
Students) Secretary/Treasurer for the WCCS UJ Chapter. This role taught me so much and allowed
me to attend the online AGM in 2020 where I was exposed to students and speakers from all over the
world. The Chairperson and I were responsible for hosting the 2020 African Regional Event, which was
daunting at first because we needed to switch the event to an online platform. This turned out to be a
great success and proved that an online version was actually extremely beneficial.
In February 2020, I was chosen to join the massage team along with 3 other chiropractic students and
a chiropractor (Dr Sam Pearson) for the MAD2Ride cycling team. MAD2Adventures is a supporting
NPO of the Make A Difference Leadership Foundation who raise funds through running or cycling from
Johannesburg to Cape Town over a period of 1 week. My experience during this road trip across SA
has inspired me to join the MAD2Run team 2021 and I will be running in a relay with different teams
from JHB to CPT in support of MAD’s mission to “provide academically talented scholars with exceptional
leadership development opportunities through education.” This run will take place from the 8th-15th
October 2021 and I am so excited (although nervous) to be a part of such an incredible initiative.
Treating patients at the UJ clinic has taught me invaluable skills and there’s no better feeling than helping
someone in pain to feel even a little bit better. I am not 100% sure where my life is going to take me, but
I am excited to explore the working world and use my knowledge and experiences from my student days
to fulfil my purpose in life, which is to make a meaningful impact in this crazy, beautiful world!

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