Trine DPT student receives Mat-Su Health Foundation scholarship

WASILLA, Alaska — A student in Trine University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy program will receive an academic scholarship from the Mat-Su Health Foundation (MSHF) in Alaska for the 2017-18 school year.

Angela Kesler of Palmer, Alaska, will receive a Mat-Su Health Foundation Scholarship in the amount of $13,300. She was one of 128 who received academic scholarships totaling $721,400 from the foundation.

“I feel so blessed and fortunate to have been selected for this very generous scholarship,” Kesler said.

Sharing ownership in the Mat-Su Regional Medical Center in Palmer, Alaska, the MSHF invests its assets to improve the health and wellness of residents in Alaska’s Matanuska-Susitna Borough. As part of that work, the MSHF awards scholarships to area residents who are seeking careers in healthcare.

During the scholarship application process, Kesler said she wrote an essay outlining her career goals and the ways in which the outcomes will improve public health overall.

”I mentioned the notable role Trine University has played in my life by influencing my intellectual and personal growth as a developing professional,” she said.

Coming from Alaska, Kesler said she initially looked at physical therapy programs located near beautiful beaches and year-round warm weather. While researching online she discovered Trine’s DPT program and noticed it included more hours of integrated clinical education experiences that many other programs.

“I applied, and within the week got an email from my now-advisor and incredible mentor, Dr. Tom Ruediger, congratulating me with an invite for an upcoming interview,” she said. “The moment I walked through the front entrance, my decision was made.”

Kesler said she has several opportunities for work in Alaska after graduation, but is undecided as to whether she will head back there or opt for a warmer climate.

“Maybe snow, maybe cornfields or maybe something new,” she said. “I’m keeping an open mind for now!”

Effective 7/29/14, the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at Trine University has been granted Candidate for Accreditation status by the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education (1111 North Fairfax Street, Alexandria, VA, 22314; phone: 703-706-3245; email: accreditation@apta.org). Candidate for Accreditation is a pre-accreditation status of affiliation with the Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education that indicates that the program may matriculate students in the technical/ professional courses and that the program is progressing toward accreditation. Candidate for Accreditation is not an accreditation status nor does it assure eventual accreditation.