Growing up as an athlete, Payton was always fascinated with anatomy and how the body moved. Interested in how she could take her passion to the next level, Payton researched healthcare career paths. After a few Google searches, she discovered POP and started shadowing at a local POP clinic. Seeing POP professionals’ close relationships with their patients, Payton knew this was the path for her.

Payton earned her bachelor’s degree in exercise science from the University of Delaware and looks forward to using the skills she learns to design and customize devices to fit each person’s unique needs. One of her favorite patient memories was helping fit a man who traveled from Micronesia with his first prosthetic leg. Today, Payton is an orthotics and prosthetics master’s student at the University of Pittsburgh.