Haley is a 2014 graduate of Bucyrus High School and a current graduate student at Ohio University working on her doctorate in physical therapy. She will be one of a group of Ohio University graduate students and faculty traveling to Botswana, Africa for three weeks this summer. This program, offered by her college, is an interdisciplinary healthcare service learning trip for audiology, physical therapy, and speech and language pathology students.
“This summer, I will be traveling to Botswana, which is just north of South Africa,” Haley stated. “Most of the time, [the other students and I] will have accommodations at the University of Botswana. Part of our time there will be spent holding in-services for teachers about children with disabilities to give them strategies to best help these students. Another focus is preforming screenings for children since it can take much longer there to be evaluated by a healthcare provider. By traveling to another country, I hope to become more culturally competent. This will help me to best treat patients from all walks of life.” During her trip, Haley will also be visiting a traditional village to experience the customs of the native people, and a safari to appreciate the beauty of nature that the Botswanan people hold dear.
Haley’s career goals eventually lead her to teaching others. “From my clinical experiences so far, I have learned that I want to work with the geriatric population,” Haley explained. “I also think that I may want to work in a hospital, [but] I am keeping my options open to possibly working in an outpatient clinic as well. In five to ten years, I would like to be a clinical instructor for current physical therapy students because I have seen how much a difference it makes as I develop my clinical judgement as a future physical therapist.”
The Samuel Neff Fellowship for International Studies was established with the Foundation in 1999. During the one hundred years they were associated with the Bucyrus community, Samuel Neff and his family were actively involved with the larger world around them. Neff's descendants believe it is appropriate that the recipients are internationally-minded young men or women excited about engaging in a significant international experience that they are willing to share with others. This scholarship is intended for any Crawford County High School student or graduate of any Crawford County High School who is pursuing an educational experience outside the United States. Exchange programs set up by other organizations, like Rotary or college semesters abroad, are applicable for this award.
To learn more about the scholarships offered through the Foundation visit www.cfcrawford.org
