Being a Coyote is something of a family tradition for Madison Lambert ’26, but family legacy isn’t the only thing that brought – or kept – her on campus as she’s pursued her degree in pre-physical therapy.
Growing up, Lambert frequently heard stories about Kansas Wesleyan from her grandfather, and long-time university trustee, Kent Lambert ’72.
“He loves everything Kansas Wesleyan,” she said of her grandfather. “I grew up listening to him talk about it, and we’d been to a couple of games here and there.”
Her own journey with the campus began when she was contacted to play for the women’s basketball team.
“I came on a visit, and I really liked the community aspect of it,” she said. “I went to one of the games to watch, and there was a big crowd. It was a lot of Salina people, people from the school, and I thought that how much support they had from the community made them really unique.”
She went on to join the team and play basketball all four years at KWU, ending her most recent season by going to the KCAC playoffs.
When she began her first year, Lambert already knew exactly what she wanted to be. After witnessing the challenges and triumphs her mother, who has multiple sclerosis, experienced in physical therapy, she saw a path open before her.
“She had a physical therapist who really didn’t know her disease, neurological diseases, very well, so she had a really tough time with physical therapy,” Lambert said. “It kind of left her feeling discouraged, and then she got switched to a new PT who really understood her and her disease, and she got better mentally, physically. It gave me a passion for helping people get on the right track and be that good influence for people.”
Other experiences with physical therapy made her realize how important that role could be. She spent her internship as a PT tech at Advanced Physical Therapy in her hometown of Wichita, where she worked largely with older patients.
“Over the summer, we had a patient in her 60s, and I think she was having a hard time,” she said. The patient had previously avoided her PT appointments at another clinic. “She really turned a corner, and she talked to me about how we changed her mindset. We made her want to come in and get better.
“That always makes me feel like I am doing what I’m supposed to be doing and like it is making an impact.”
When Lambert graduates in May, she’ll head off to Wichita State University’s physical therapy program and complete another three years of schooling to get her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree. She’ll do a variety of clinicals while there and, upon graduation, can seek employment based on what she’d like to specialize in. She’s leaning toward specializing in neurological diseases, to help people like her mother.
When she receives her diploma, she’ll join six other family members in being a lifelong Coyote: Dennis Lambert ’66, Sharon Lambert ’66, Vaughn Lambert ’69, Kent Lambert ’72, Kinda Lambert ’74 and Amy (Lambert) Lauer ’99.
Story by Skylar Nelson ’21
