ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: Celina Hawthorne

Celina Hawthorne: Rehabilitation Founded in Faith 

When Celina Hawthorne, OTR, OTD, set out to establish her own clinic in rural East Texas—Grace in Motion Rehab—she knew she wanted to center it on holistic rehabilitation founded in faith. As owner, director of operations, and clinician, she oversees a diverse team that provides occupational therapy, physical therapy, and speech therapy. Each client who walks through the doors receives a treatment plan that is guided in faith, while addressing emotional, physical, and social wellness. 

Celina noticed the rural community has a critical shortage of specialized upper extremity services, and as a result, residents were traveling far distances for healthcare. To help address this need, she began pursuing certification in hand therapy through the Hand Therapy Certification Commission and hopes to earn the certification by 2026. 

In the meantime, Grace in Motion Rehab is expanding services in areas like chronic pain management, neurological rehabilitation, and vestibular therapy. She hopes to introduce hippotherapy to the clinic within the next five years.

“Baylor did more than advance my clinical acumen—it nurtured my identity as a professional whose faith and practice are inseparable,” she said. “The intentionally supportive environment I experienced, where rigorous scholarship met genuine community, became the blueprint for Grace in Motion Rehab. Every element of my clinic, from interdisciplinary collaboration to client centered programming, reflects the values I embraced in Baylor’s OTD program.”

Celina credits a lot to Baylor Occupational Therapy, and she now feels “privileged” to give back to the Department by serving as an adjunct faculty member, mentoring students to have the courage to innovate in the profession—and one day, she dreams of becoming full-time faculty.