Dory Stefanowicz '25 Creates Unique Path with Double Major

Author Miranda Hasani '25 is a Sports, Entertainment, Event — Management major and works as a student assistant at JWU, contributing to JWU News.  

Dory Stefanowicz ’25 has been riding horses since she was four years old. This lifelong passion for horses brought her to JWU’s Equine Studies program, and her love of helping others made her decide to double major as a Psychology student as well. 

“I was teaching kids with disabilities how to ride horses and realized that helping the kids and showing them something that they loved was what I really wanted to do,” Dory shared. “The first experience I had was being an assistant to one of the people who works at Shadowfax Barn in Millis, Massachusetts, where I work as an assistant barn manager. I worked with his daughter and did lessons with her — she was really young and unable to sit up on her own. It was unofficially a therapy situation with her, and I was a part of that. I made sure that she was upright and stable. That's what really got me into it.” 

Now in her senior year, Dory has built great relationships with all of the equine professors, who have helped her tailor her education to her specific goal of helping children through equine therapy. One of her professors –  Jackie Bowser, D.V.M. – has been her faculty mentor, helping her throughout her time at JWU. 

Knowing Dory’s goal, Bowser and other equine faculty introduced her to professors in JWU’s Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) program. She got to know them and learn more about the program’s curriculum, which encourages students to explore different areas and methods of occupational therapy. Dory was sold — she applied to the program and was accepted to the 2025 cohort, which will graduate in 2028. 

Completing this program will be the final piece in propelling Dory to her dream career. “Ideally, I would like to work in pediatric occupational therapy in the future,” Dory said. “I think the OTD professors can really help me do that and I can bring all of my degrees together to do equine assisted therapy, or hippotherapy.” 

Besides being a double major, Dory has also managed to get involved in extracurriculars and work multiple jobs. She’s currently employed at the Starbucks in the Downcity Campus in Providence as well as Shadowfax Farm. She was also on JWU’s Intercollegiate Horseshow Association (IHSA) team for three years, serving as a captain of the team in her junior year.  

Somehow, she found a way to balance engagement in extracurriculars, work and her rigorous course load. She also had the support of many faculty members to help her balance all the classes she needed for Equine Studies and Psychology. “I think it’s possible as long as you focus on managing your time well,” she said. “If you find something that you love, it doesn't feel like that much work and realizing that I can handle a busy plate and still be that go-to person for people was pretty rewarding,” said Dory.  

Dory even found time to study abroad in Germany with an equine program at the Westphalian Riding School. “This goes to show the opportunities that JWU can provide,” Dory said of the adventure. “It was so unique, and I could tailor the program to what I wanted to do.” 

She then did a 12-week internship with an occupational therapist and a counseling therapist at Walnut Hill Farm in Plainville, Massachusetts. “The owner of the farm is a licensed mental health counselor and one of the managers is an occupational therapist, so they do a lot of equine-assisted therapy and equine-assisted learning,” she said. “I did a lot of observing and helping with that.” Through this program, she was able to help clients with anxiety and other disabilities. 

Dory is now getting her Riding Instructor license in Massachusetts and has many of her own clients, including kids. 

She’s looking forward to being a part of the OTD program and experiencing hands-on field work. “I’ll be working in situations that I might be uncomfortable in, but that will also set me up really well to have a well-rounded career,” said Dory.  

She is also excited to build relationships with the cohort of students she will be with for the duration of the OTD program. Plus, the program will provide her with great practitioner contacts in the field. 

Through the unique opportunities she has had at JWU, Dory will be able to delve into a career tailored just for her. 

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