(bright music)
(machine beeping)
(latch clicking)
-: I feel like I've known since I was probably
in high school, even maybe middle school.
I wanted to be an orthopedic surgeon
before I wanted to be a doctor or in medicine in general.
I had my own injury with a shoulder.
I went to see a surgeon.
The thought of mixing the technology with the anatomy
and that just really inspired something in me.
You know, I think it was with football,
in the training room, watching the trainers
and watching my teammates and my guys rehab
and wanting to go over there and kind of walk 'em
through it or encourage 'em through it
and teach 'em through it.
I think just watching people wanting to get back
to the activities that they love.
What really brought me to orthopedics
was improving the patient's quality of life,
not just quantity of life.
What counts to me is finding a passion
and a purpose in life.
For me, that purpose is helping and serving people.
Coach Shanabeck, he inspired us
and he always just said, "Do what's right."
It sounds so simple, but it's something that resonates
with me every day, especially in medicine,
just do what's right.
When you're on call every night and you're sleeping
at the hospital and you're getting woken up by the pager,
you just, you find ways to power through it.
It's one of those things, when you do
what you're passionate about and you wake up every day
fulfilling your passion, it's easy.
(bright music)
I'm T.J. Ridley, and I'm a Gustie.
Gustavus Adolphus College.
Make your life count.