Congratulations to Daphne Bricker on receiving the Strauss Scholarship Award from the National AMBUCS Foundation. To date, National AMBUCS, Inc. has awarded more than $9.6million in scholarships have been awarded to over 16,500 students in the physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech language pathology and hearing audiology.
Daphne Bricker
How did it feel to learn you were selected for this award?
I was honored to be selected for the Strauss Scholarship Award. This scholarship is one of the many awarded to PT, OT, and SLP students across the US through the National AMBUCS foundation. The mission of AMBUCS is to conquer the mobility and independence challenges of people with disabilities through volunteer partnerships with PTs, OTs, and SLPs. I am proud to be recognized for my academic achievement by such a wonderful organization.
What are some of your career objectives as a future Physical therapist?
My greatest goal as a future PT is to help people discover (or rediscover) their abilities after injury. I am currently applying to orthopedic PT residency programs. I am hopeful that this next step will jumpstart my journey to becoming a patient-first clinician who effectively improves the health of the local community while also contributing to literature and evidence-based practice.
How do you demonstrate commitment to local community in pursuit of your education?
Throughout my time in the UF DPT program, I volunteered with UF’s pro-bono Equal Access Clinic to treat patients who may have previously avoided receiving healthcare due to the cost. During my first year of PT school, I served as the clinic’s Occupational Therapy Liaison. In this position, I led communication with UF’s OT Equal Access Clinic to coordinate effective interprofessional services for our patients. This experience helped me integrate my learning into clinical practice while also promoting the provision of high-quality healthcare regardless of socioeconomic status.
Click here to learn more about the AMBUCS Scholarship Program.