D . C . S T U D E N T PROFILE
Faces of LIFE
Xavier Ortiz Valle Showing
To LIFE
Xavier Ortiz Valle arrived in Georgia and Life
University just five days after graduating from the
University of Puerto Rico with an undergraduate
degree in biology — a rather unassuming start, but
amazing timing for this chiropractic student from
Mayaguez, Puerto Rico.
Originally, Valle planned to be a biomedical
engineer, but three years into the program, he
realized that the subject matter was just not
resonating with him. After enjoying chiropractic
care since he was fifteen years old, he came to
realize that he really admired the service that his
chiropractor was providing to his community.
As Valle puts it, “He was really able to connect
to his patients. I thought I would check this out
because I also wanted to be able to connect
with people on that level and have deeper
relationships.” So, he began searching for his new
path, and luckily, he had a friend who studied at
LIFE. “He told me about LIFE Leadership Weekend,
so I came to one to hear about the school and
its philosophy, but I also saw the passion and
commitment that everybody had. I made the
decision right then and there to change my major
to biology, finish up at the university and come to
LIFE.”
When he was younger, Valle, an athlete, had
gone to the chiropractor for occasional neck and
back pain, but said that that was the extent of it.
His mother connected him to chiropractic care
originally as she had also gone to one. He says,
“When I first went, I only knew what everybody
else sort of thinks they know — that it’s just about
cracking bones, so I was little bit scared about
it at first. It wasn’t until I got to LIFE and started
studying that I really understood its philosophy
and saw the impact that Chiropractic can
have … and how everything is connected.”
Valle believed in LIFE’s philosophy enough
to begin serving as a Student Ambassador,
which takes a large time commitment. In the
small amount of leisure time that he does have,
he enjoys going to coffee shops and, of course,
spending time with his wife, Lorraine (Lola)
Rodriguez-Vargas, who joined LIFE in April 2017
as a Bilingual Academic Support Manager in the
Student Success Center.
Regarding Lola, her background is actually
in microbiology, and she has a Master’s in
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Environmental Microbiology and even worked in
that area for two years before joining LIFE. She
has really connected with her position here, and
Valle says, “She is more passionate and loves it
even more than what she was doing before.”
Lola is not the only one who enjoys LIFE,
as Valle expresses, “It has surpassed all of my
expectations. I came here with an idea of what
Chiropractic was, and I’ve learned that it is so
much more. I thought of Chiropractic as a way to
serve my community, but I see now that you can
also create a really big and impactful change.”
“Plus, it all then connects with Lasting
Purpose. Most people already live their lives with
Lasting Purpose before coming here, and that’s
why LIFE spoke to them, but putting it into words
was something that LIFE did for me. I think that it
has always been present in my life even if I didn’t
really note it. In my previous jobs, I was really
passionate about serving others. I didn’t just see
them as jobs. That really carries over into what I’m
studying now at LIFE.”
Valle, who is set to graduate in December
2018, says that he is still trying to figure out what
he will do but says that his home of Puerto Rico is
always in his heart. He plans to eventually return
there to give back to his home. “But maybe we’ll
stay here in the Southeast for a while since being
here has been great.
Valle researched several other schools before
deciding on LIFE. His chiropractor went to school
in Texas and wanted him to go there, but after a
deciding event — LIFE Leadership Weekend — he
had no doubt where he would end up. When
he saw everybody’s passion and commitment,
especially that of the Student Ambassadors, he
was sure of his decision.
“During the weekend, we went through
Experiential Learning Activities, and LIFE Board
of Trustees member Dr. Jay Handt was my leader.
Since that day I have considered him a mentor, and
I’m grateful that throughout this whole journey,
we have been able to connect many times. He
has challenged me to push forward and become
a better version of myself, thus becoming a better
chiropractor.”
About the Student Ambassadors, Valle
notes that they try to have a diverse student
representation not only from Chiropractic, but
also individuals from master’s and undergraduate
programs so that any prospective student feels
welcome. Valle himself used his LIFE Leadership
Weekend experience to help make the decision
that changed his life for the better.
As a Student Ambassador, Valle says that when
he is speaking to prospective students, he likes to
tailor his message to each individual; however, one
message remains the same, “I let them know it will
be a great experience, but it will be challenging.
There will be classes that will be challenging,
but they are coming here to become a doctor
and impact people’s lives, and for that, I always
recommend LIFE because it will provide you
with the tools that you need. Plus, and this is so
important, the philosophy at LIFE is the one that
Chiropractic was founded on, and we stand true
to that.”
After graduation, Valle may remain in Georgia
for a while and work with a couple of mentors
in the area as an associate. But ideally, he would
rather start his own practice from the outset. “I
am working on becoming the chiropractor that
I need to be if I want to start my own practice,
which means shadowing more offices, looking at
places where I want to open my own practice and
thinking about business loans. I want to make sure
that I have all those things answered soon before
I graduate.”
“Something that has helped me be successful is
simply ‘showing up.’ Whether I’m in an Ambassador
setting, in clinic or I have midterms, I just keep
showing up. That’s what makes it all work for me.”
Whether finishing his studies, welcoming
prospective students or, one day, connecting with
his patients, Valle will continue to give his all,
do the work, love others and serve the world by
showing up.