Rutgers can be a tough school on students, but as Marina Di Constanzo knows from experience, diagnosed scoliosis condition can make social interactions and athletic activities more challenging than they need to be.
Di Constanzo states that although she was initially inhibited by a corrective back brace and the nickname “Hunchback” from her coach in high school, she eventually received surgery to treat her condition.
Going about life after the surgery is “fairly normal” according to Di Constanzo. She said “They did warn me though, I might set off metal detectors, so that’s going to make traveling fun.”
Di Constanzo, a Sophmore, declared herself as a Journalism and Media Studies (JMS) major, and a Digital Communications, Information and Media (DCIM) minor, and currently lives on campus at Rutgers University in New Brunswick.
While on campus, Di Costanzo deals with the residual back pain from her surgery, saying that for the most part she chooses to ignore it.
“It’s one of the reasons I can’t sit still for very long,” she said. “Sometimes I do use it as an excuse though, especially if a room is getting too crowded.”
According to Di Costanzo other techniques for dealing with the remaining back pain focus on specialized stretching exercises that target the areas she feels most affected in, and channeling that focus in productive use of her time at college.
Di Costanzo is an active member of the sorority Gamma Phi Beta, inspired by the program “Girls on the Run” which works to help bring inspiration and confidence to girls dealing with the challenges of grade-school life.
“I would have like it, back then. I think it would have helped a lot more.” She said referring to her own experiences.
Di Costanzo also works as a contributing writer for Her Campus: news website written for college age women that meets every other week.
“It’s a good way to get your foot in the door writing,” said Di Costanzo. According to her, the blog site assigns article with a focus on the positive angle, taking the shape of fun activities whether they be listicles, personal stories, or how-to’s. According to Di Costanzo, the freedom to be able to write whatever she wants helps divert attention away from her back.
In terms of her advice to how other student in dealing with similar conditions Di Constanzo said, “Just keep active. The best thing you can do is find something that occupies your mind and do it as often as you can,
you’ll wind up being productive.”
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