Now and Forever

Once in Aggieland, the quality of Texas A&M’s curriculum set Kennedy on her career path. “The exercise science program was so good that it exposed me to the medical field as part of the curriculum,” she explained. “The broad range of degree offerings and the excellent education within those degrees helped me discover that I wanted to practice medicine.”

After graduating from the physician assistant (PA) program at The University of Texas Medical Branch in 2008, Kennedy cared for patients in the areas of neurosurgery, emergency medicine and primary care medicine. She also served as research coordinator for multiple studies funded by the National Institutes of Health that focused on finding treatments for patients with severe traumatic brain injuries.

Fast forward to 2023, and Kennedy is now a telemedicine PA with Goodside Health, which contracts with schools in rural and underserved areas. Typically, when children get sick at school, their parents need to pick them up and take them to a doctor’s office, which is often unavailable in rural and underserved areas. Through Goodside Health, Kennedy and her associates can virtually diagnose and treat kids right from the school nurse’s office. “We are bringing health care to kids who otherwise wouldn’t have it,” Kennedy said. “That’s so rewarding.”

The Success Specialist

When Pollard Hickman “Cinco” Coates V ’09 received the Gerlich scholarship, he also gained a friend and mentor. “Anytime Pete was in town, he would give me a call, and we’d go to Koppe Bridge and grab burgers,” he recalled. “This was one of the only scholarships I had where I got to meet the donor and build that relationship."
 

These experiences and the financial support of his scholarship provided a firm foundation to help launch Coates into a successful career in the technology industry, including his current role as an implementation customer success manager for Calendly, a scheduling platform. He consults and guides new customers through its software setup and teaches them how to train their own users to most effectively use Calendly’s scheduling software.

“Throughout my career with technology companies, I’ve been drawn to roles that focus on service, for both customers and the teams I lead,” Coates said. “My most rewarding work has been times where I’ve helped others succeed, whether in their own careers or by solving major business obstacles through the product or service we provide.”

Coates’ desire to help others doesn’t stop at his 8-to-5 job. For the past seven years, he’s worked with Flatwater Foundation through its fundraising event called Dam that Cancer, where more than 200 participants spend a full day paddling 21 miles, the length of Lake Austin. The funds raised provide counseling for those impacted by a cancer diagnosis. The event has personal meaning to Coates, whose mother received a brain cancer diagnosis when he was young, and at his former job with WP Engine, he co-founded, recruited and captained a company team that raised over $250,000.

“Without physical therapy, she couldn’t roll over or do much besides lie down,” Burslem explained. “But after physical therapy, she can crawl easily and walk with a walker or with someone holding her hand. I’ve learned by watching her that success can be different for different people, and PT has helped her achieve her version of success by becoming more independent and having a better quality of life.”

After finishing her degree at Texas A&M and completing a graduate program for physical therapy, Burslem plans to pursue a career as a PT focused on pediatrics with special needs. “I want to work for a company, hospital or other setting where I can focus on my work with patients,” Burslem said. “I really just want to help people.”

You can support Aggies like Kennedy, Coates, Burslem and countless others by creating your own endowment! A single endowed scholarship will benefit generations of students and can be customized to support students from a certain major or hometown if you wish. Creating a scholarship will also support the Aggie Way Scholarship Initiative and help Texas A&M reach its goal to raise $100 million more in scholarship funds by 2026. For more information, contact Al Pulliam ’87 below.