B.S. in Exercise Science student, President of Voices of Life Gospel Choir

“Living life to her own holistic tune”

From Birmingham, Alabama, Leilani Joseph grew up with varied interests in the arts, from theatre to crafts. From a young age, she also had an awareness of the need for proper spinal alignment due to a scoliosis diagnosis discovered during a school screening. Scoliosis is a sideways curvature of the spine often found in adolescents, such as Joseph at that time in middle school.

Joseph and her family were advised to seek treatment from a chiropractor or a physical therapist, so Joseph’s mom took her to go see a chiropractor. This was Joseph’s first introduction to Chiropractic, receiving corrective spinal treatment. This early experience sparked an interest in Joseph for holistic health care.

Joseph’s appreciation for holistic health care grew later on when her father experienced a stroke and underwent rehabilitative physical therapy to be “good as new.” For a long while, Joseph struggled with conflicting potential career paths, not sure if Chiropractic was what she wanted to pursue or if she preferred physical therapy. She asked her chiropractor for advice, a Life University (Life U) alumna who encouraged her to attend Life U as an undergraduate to get more exposure to what Chiropractic entails and to see if it is for her.

So, Joseph enrolled as a B.S. in Exercise Science student and very much enjoys the vitalistic knowledge on the body that she gained so far at the University. Additionally, she enjoys taking advantage of the chiropractic care offered to students at Life U, for continued care related to her scoliosis. For now, Joseph feels more led to practice physical therapy, so she plans to pursue that field after graduating from Life U. However, she has a deep respect for Chiropractic and hopes to incorporate elements of its principles into her work as a physical therapist.

“It’s a plus being here at Life University because it is a holistic school. I know a lot of people who do physical therapy and holistic medicine. I am into the holistic lifestyle,” said Joseph.

In regard to what she likes about attending Life U, Joseph remarked how much she values the diversity on campus and the chance to meet people from all over the world. Joseph hopes to travel the world, so getting to know people from so many different cultures gives her “a head start.”

“Growing up in Birmingham, I didn’t see much of that,” Joseph noted.

When not in the classroom, Joseph can often be found practicing with fellow choir members for Life U’s newly formed gospel choir, Voices of Life. She is the President of Voices of Life, singing soprano. In June 2022, the Voices of Life performed at Life U’s First Annual Juneteenth Celebration, singing two inspiring songs at the end of the event, “Ride on King Jesus” followed by “Hallelujah, Salvation and Glory.”

“I love the fellowship. I love that it gives me a free space to worship God and sing the songs that I love,” said Joseph. “A lot of the choir members are a little bit older than me, so it gives me a lot of wisdom. It gives me a lot of inspiration to have someone to look up to that makes me feel like ‘I can achieve this’ or ‘This is a good thing to do’.” Joseph is also working on creating a student club on campus centered around awareness and support related to sexual assault, domestic violence and/or mental health, “a place to find self-care tools and to feel welcomed.”

“Be you. Be your authentic self. Never give up, and if you feel a little loss of hope, always go to a faculty member or a friend to get that negativity out,” said Joseph.

 

Faces of LIFE is a story campaign that showcases members of the dynamic Life U community, including faculty/staff, students, alumni and health science professionals. Interested in being featured or nominating a candidate? We want to hear from you! Email Marketing@life.edu. Read more Faces of LIFE stories.