Meet Lizzy Pryal '23
Meet Lizzy Pryal, a junior in the Physician Assistant program at Seton Hill. Lizzy first came to Seton Hill as a sophomore in high school as part of the Women in Science program. “It was that day I realized that I wanted to come to Seton Hill to pursue my dream of becoming a Physician Assistant. I noticed right away the family atmosphere and how encouraging the professors were even though I wasn’t technically a student yet,” says Lizzy. When it came time to apply for college, I only applied to one other school because I knew I wanted to go to Seton Hill.”
Lizzy’s dream is to one day work at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. “The education, support and encouragement I have received from my professors and peers at Seton Hill has been a huge help,” says Lizzy.
One course all students are required to take at Seton Hill is a language course. When looking at her options, Lizzy realized that she could take sign language courses at the Westmoreland County Community College. “I have always been interested in learning sign language, and I thought it would be a really valuable tool for me as a Physician Assistant. After taking the first two courses that were required, I decided I didn't want to stop there. I worked with the provost to develop a sign language minor.” Although it was challenging to find courses at other schools, Lizzy says that her advisors at Seton Hill worked hard to help her complete an academic plan. “I’m not fluent yet, but I am learning so much, and I hope that this will allow me to provide better care for all of my future patients.”
Lizzy says that in addition to everything she is learning inside the classroom, she is also learning a lot about herself outside of academics. She has become very involved at Seton Hill as a class representative for the class of 2022, a Student Ambassador, Griffin Guide, Peer Tutor, and she is involved in many clubs on campus. She is also hoping to be a part of a new initiative on campus, the Service Advisory Board. “Seton Hill has been a very eye-opening experience for me because I came from a really small high school where I was always a quiet person. I’ve pushed myself to become more involved at Seton Hill, and it's really helped me step out of my shell and meet so many people.”
One her most memorable experiences was going on the alternative spring break trip to Belize where she and other students built a house in three days. “I’ve been on mission trips before, but going on one with people my age was a different but really great experience,” says Lizzy. “I made life-long relationships with people from Seton Hill I probably never would have met before as well as people from around the world.”
Lizzy is looking forward to continuing to take advantage of opportunities to grow outside of the classroom as well as working hard in the classroom toward pursuing her dream of becoming a Physician Assistant.