What began as a painful sports injury in junior high school turned into a powerful calling for Tulpehocken senior Cecelia Crampton, a Level 3 student in the Sports Medicine and Rehabilitative Therapy (SMaRT) program at Berks Career & Technology Center (BCTC). Her journey from recovery to service is marked by determination, adaptability, and a desire to help others—both in the medical field and in the military.
“I was injured and got plantar fasciitis and refused to talk to anyone about it because I wanted to continue to do my sports,” Cecelia recalls. “I made it worse and got a lot of muscle imbalances. I had to do a lot of PT [physical therapy]. The PT got me back into sports and I realized how much I wanted to help other people who were injured like me.”
That early experience set her on a path toward healthcare. She enrolled in BCTC’s SMaRT program to begin her journey toward becoming a physical therapist. However, over time—and with more exposure to different healthcare roles—her plans evolved.
“I have decided now that I would like to go into nursing as I will be able to branch off more and do more things in a nursing career,” Cecelia explained.
Throughout high school, Cecelia remained deeply committed to athletics. In the fall, she runs cross-country - training that she says helped prepare her for military conditioning. In the spring, she throws discus, javelin, and shotput for Tulpehocken’s track and field team. And in the winter, she has been a dedicated supporter of the Tulpehocken wrestling team—not as a competitor, but as a valued assistant.
“My brothers were both wrestlers, so I went to every single wrestling tournament and event even before I could understand what was going on,” she says. “I ended up being a part of it. I was a runner in elementary school during the wrestling matches. In high school, I became the wrestling manager—keeping stats and making sure the wrestlers and coaches had everything they needed.”
While Cecelia originally dreamed of a career in the Navy, she found her path into military service through the National Guard. “When I took my ASVAB [Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery], I was worried about how I could go to school and be in the military at the same time,” she said. “The National Guard reached out to me and showed how I could do both. I also joined the National Guard to help pay for my father's cancer treatments. I wanted to help my dad as much as I could.”
Two days after her junior year ended, Cecelia left for 10 weeks of basic training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. “I was nervous about leaving for basic. I cried four times on the plane ride, it was my first time away from my parents. Once I got there, I didn’t cry. I kept going, did what I was told, and had a little fun because I love fitness and there was a lot of fitness. But my final field events were during a hurricane—I was sleeping in a hole in a hurricane.”
Cecelia is now an E3, or Private First Class, in the National Guard and trains once a month. She will leave July 1 for Advanced Individual Training (AIT), where she will serve as a 13 Bravo—Cannon Crew Member. “It has nothing to do with my nursing career,” she laughs, “but it sounds fun!” She’ll return from AIT just two days before starting college on August 26. “My mom is moving me into college while I’m still out for training.”