All in the Family: OT Student Builds on a Legacy of Compassionate Care

The baby girl was propped up in front of the foster home’s TV, eyes glazed over – and Connor Shobe, only 4 at the time, knew she deserved far better.

“Meeting her was a life-changing experience,” he recalls. “Her mom had drug problems, she was born very early, and all the doctors said she wasn’t supposed to live. She overcame all that.”

Since the little girl wasn’t being taught how to speak, Shobe’s mother – a speech language pathologist – had been called in to help. The immediate connection would lead the Shobes to adopt her.

“Adopting my sister taught me a lot about empathy,” Shobe says. “Just knowing what kind of background she came from, and recognizing my family was able to have room in our hearts and a home to bring her into – that was really unique, and I’m glad we were able to do it.”

A ‘Magical’ Introduction

Shobe, now a student in George Fox University’s occupational therapy program, believes it was his mother’s career and his love for his sister that led him to choose a medical path. His mother worked at Providence, and Shobe remembers coming to one of the organization’s summer parades for the first time.

People laughed, carried balloons and tied flags to wheelchairs outside the hospital. Some were dressed up in superhero costumes. Five-year-old Shobe was awestruck by the celebration. “It was really vibrant and colorful – the atmosphere was amazing,” he recalls.

Although he barely knew anybody around him, he knew his mom, staff members and every patient was working toward the same goal. “Being surrounded by all the speech language pathologists and occupational and physical therapists coming together to support kids with disabilities – everyone wanted everyone to be included and to help in any way that they could.”

Shobe describes the moment as “magical” and says it birthed the idea of pursuing a career helping disabled patients. “I wanted kids to have as much success in their lives as they could,” he says.

Two Dreams Derailed

As a teenager, Shobe worked with his mother at LEEP – the Life Education Enrichment Program in Clackamas – where disabled children came in during the summer for assistance with academic, social and physical needs.

But as much as Shobe loved helping disabled children, he felt torn. He had started playing soccer around the time of his sister’s adoption, and was on the path to playing professionally. “I was part of the Portland Timbers Academy for a bit, which is a direct feeder into the Portland Timbers themselves,” Shobe says. “It was my whole identity.”

But when Shobe got injured shortly after high school, his dreams of becoming a professional athlete were dashed. “There was a hole in my life. I had so much free time. I wasn’t seeing a lot of my friends I used to see every day,” he recalls. “It was like I’d lost a part of myself.”

Searching for something to fill the void, he opted to become a firefighter in California. “It was always a dream I had when I was a kid,” he recalls. “I like being around other people and helping out any way I can.”

But with the arrival of COVID in 2020, Shobe’s plans evaporated – again – and he discovered he couldn’t handle the toll firefighting took on his body. “I was really beat up from playing soccer from 4 to 20 years old, firefighting was really competitive, and I’d have to volunteer for free for many, many years before getting a job.”

Losing a shot at becoming an emergency responder was a blow. “I was really, really passionate about it, too. I wanted to work as an EMT on an ambulance.”

He returned to Oregon to earn a degree in environmental science at Oregon State University. He also opted to work at LEEP again, and something clicked. “I wanted to find a better way to help my students,” he recalls, “and it seemed like going into healthcare was a perfect way to do that.”

‘A Leap of Faith’

As Shobe worked with speech language pathologists, physical therapists and occupational therapists in the program, he was motivated to pursue one of those paths. Unfortunately, his degree wasn’t compatible. “To be a speech language pathologist, you need your undergrad to be matching, and it’s the same thing for PT – you need the kinesiology undergrad. I was limited with where I could go.”

Shobe discovered that occupational therapy was more forgiving, and went for it. “It just really sounded like the place for me,” he says. “It’s a very patient-centered profession, and really unique and engaging. It felt like the stars were aligning.”

Hearing good things about George Fox’s newly launched occupational therapy program, Shobe enrolled in 2025. “I took a leap of faith and decided to go all in, despite it being a newer program,” he says.

‘I’m Definitely in the Right Place’

To date, what stands out the most at George Fox is the passion for service Shobe has seen in the university’s students and staff. During Serve Day – an annual day of service in which the institution closes to give students and employees a chance to give back to the local community – Shobe joined about 35 students and professors to serve at 5 Rock Ranch, dedicated to assisting single moms going through difficult times.

“It was awesome to see everyone come together and work,” he says. “We already felt so tight-knit, even this early on in the program.”

Shobe says it was a beautiful day, seeing his professors come together to help. “That’s really how I knew, ‘Yeah, I’m definitely in the right place.’”

In the classroom, he’s grateful for his teachers' devotion to equipping their students – and believing in them. “It goes beyond just teaching. They believe in us, they believe in occupational therapy, and I believe they’re going to make good therapists out of each and every one of us.”

Future Hopes

As Shobe plans his next steps, his girlfriend’s hand condition – Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome – has led him to consider becoming a hand therapist.

“My girlfriend saw an occupational therapist – all the joints in her hand are really hypermobile, so if she’s gripping things or opening jars and doing other everyday tasks like that, it hurts her hand and joints. She’s worked with an occupational therapist and really liked the experience.”

If Shobe doesn’t become a certified hand therapist, he has a dream to return to LEEP as an occupational therapist, helping to empower children to achieve their goals, just as he’d seen his mom do at Providence. “It’s a hard yet special place to work in. It’s really important to dig deep into your roots and remember why you’re doing it. Even though it may get tough sometimes, you have to remember you’re making a difference.”

Shobe’s also proud to say that his sister recently began her first job. “She’s killing it,” he says, “and she’s loving the independence.”

As he sees it, Shobe’s greatest motivation is giving his future patients the same opportunity his family was able to give his sister. “At the heart of it, I’m glad that I was able to help her, and I’m glad I’m going to help people do the things that they want to do – to be independent and have fulfilling, meaningful lives.”