Sanwal Dilshad, DPT student
Posted on by Jean M O'Sullivan

Doctor of Physical Therapy Student Sanwal Dilshad: Focused, Compassionate, Undeterred

Sanwal Dilshad will graduate this spring from the CSUN Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) Program. Dilshad is California’s student physical therapy representative; vice president of the state’s student chapter; and CSUN DPT’s student representative to the annual state physical therapy conference. He is a recipient of the Dodgers/Campanella Scholarship, the Intercollegiate Academic Clinical Coordinators Council (IACCC) Physical Therapy scholarship, Rizing Tide scholarship, United Health Foundation scholarship, CSUN Associated Students Scholarship, and the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA) video scholarship. He has published articles for the American Physical Therapy Association and Rizing Tide Foundation. He has shared his story with us:

I was 17. I had branched away from my mother and sister as we were shopping for groceries and ended up in an aisle alone.  I heard him before I saw him. He was raising his voice in anger seeking out someone in the store. I continued to look at the display of chocolate in front of me as I heard the voice getting closer. I looked up and saw him staring down the aisle, looking directly at me. He looked towards his left shoulder, as if to confirm his target and began approaching me furiously. My state of shock and confusion left me paralyzed. 

I stood silently as the man placed his hands on my collar, threatening me as I saw his wife approach behind him with a baby in her stroller. She observed as her husband physically assaulted me and accused me of following her–this middle-aged woman who I was seeing for the first time in my life. I had every right to defend myself. Instead, I tried to reason with him calmly. I had just graduated high school. College was starting soon. Did I want to do something that would jeopardize my future?

So I played it safe. I let the barrage of insults and abuse come down from the older man, as I kept my future in the back of my mind. When his energy gave out, he stormed out of the store with his family. Employees eventually ran towards me and asked me what happened. I was unaware if I had to defend myself. Before I had the chance, one of them remarked that he recognized me from the local newspaper last week–I was featured on it for my high school accomplishments. He told me that he knew of me and there was no need for me to give my side of the story. The man and his wife were simply seeking someone to target. I was asked if I wanted to press charges and I declined. Again, why get myself caught up in something before college starts? I simply walked away and rejoined my family. 

Upon reflection, the decision to let myself be disrespected when I had every right to defend myself became the biggest regret in my life. I chose to not protect myself because of the position I was in and the ramifications it could have, despite being in the right. I made a vow to never let myself, or anyone I know, be disrespected or have their liberties infringed upon no matter where I was in life again. I made the decision to place my values before anything–my schooling, my job, and even my life.

I was raised in a small town that was predominantly low-income and offered little opportunity for growth. My parents immigrated to the United States from Pakistan before I was born, and we were the only South Asian family in the vicinity. I was often the target of racial and xenophobic remarks throughout my schooling, something that was amplified by post-9/11 rhetoric coalesced with attending schools that had graduation rates substantially below the national average. My father worked as a gas station clerk to support our family of four, and I perceived college to be the only way out of our situation. 

The path to higher education was not easy. My sister and I had to navigate the application process on our own, as we would be the first in our family to attend college. Though there were pockets of support throughout my education, I vividly remember moments that made me question my confidence. I once had a teacher berate me after class and inform me that, “Some people just aren’t made for higher education. You should reconsider your path.” 

Despite the lack of resources, I made the decision to pursue physical therapy. In this field, I found a venue to manifest the traits my parents worked so diligently to instill in me, such as care, compassion, and respect for others. I knew I would be able to be fulfilled in this field and made an active effort to pursue this goal.

Before coming to CSUN, I gained admission to another university as a kinesiology major. On two separate occasions, I was informed by my advisors to give up on trying to graduate in four years. They told me it was irrational and I should plan on spending five or more years in college. On both of these occasions, I crossed out their plan for me upon leaving the office and submitted my own to registration.

I graduated in four years with a 4.0 GPA. In my final semester, my advisors congratulated me on my accomplishments, unaware that I was the same student they had tried to discourage four years back. My high school teacher would also never know that I received a 100% on every exam for the subject he urged me to drop out of. I gained admission into California State University, Northridge’s physical therapy program at 21 years old. I created a document titled PT4 that is still used today to aid CSUF pre-PT students in graduating in four years.

I entered the CSUN DPT program as the youngest member of our cohort. I became co-president of our cohort and a student committee member on the California Physical Therapy Association (CPTA) in my first year. I eventually went on to become California’s student physical therapy representative, vice president of our state’s student chapter, and CSUN DPT’s student representative to the annual state physical therapy conference. I have been honored to be the recipient of multiple scholarships during my time at CSUN totaling over $45,000. These include the Dodgers Campanella scholarship that allowed recipients to be recognized on the field prior to a Dodgers home game, and the Intercollegiate Academic Clinical Coordinators Council (IACCC) Physical Therapy scholarship, which is a merit-based scholarship reflecting a physical therapy student’s academic accomplishments and clinical expertise. I have had articles published for the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and Rizing Tide Foundation which have been shared by health care providers and programs all across the nation.  

Despite how far I had come from my upbringing, a few challenges remained the same. I recall having conversations with multiple members of our cohort in our first year regarding their racial and xenophobic remarks. One of these incidents included being referred to as a terrorist in my second semester. Though I attribute most comments of this sort to general facetiousness and ignorance nowadays, I am reminded every so often of the perception others may hold of me. For every opportunity that is opened to celebrate my differences, I am reminded that my identity may still precede my accomplishments to some.

Many of the opportunities that opened up to me in the past three years can be attributed to being a CSUN student. The barriers that were placed in front of me growing up became avenues for growth through my time as a Matador. I gained confidence in myself as I progressed through my schooling and was able to hold on to the values that led me to where I am today. I look back at the incident that took place over eight years ago now with a sense of newfound appreciation. That moment sparked my passion for upholding my values and standing up for myself and the people around me as I navigated unfamiliar territory. Despite the awards and the accomplishments, I have been able to keep the focus of my long journey on my family and the patients I will treat. When I begin treating my patients soon, I will not value my work based on arbitrary grades or numbers, or the opinions of professors and advisors. The only litmus test for me will be patient satisfaction, and whether or not I made their lives better by coming into it. I will continue to place my values above any position I attain in life and ensure I can serve people to the best of my abilities.

Sp2025
Sanwal Dilshad, DPT (May, 2025)

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