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By Kate Hunger 

 

Stephanie Urigwe already had a master’s degree in public health when she decided to become an occupational therapist.

“I was yearning for a connection with patients and working with people in their daily lives and needs,” she said. “You really get to connect with people where they are in their illness or whatever they are going through. You help them form their goals and work with them to reach those goals. That's what I liked about OT.”

Urigwe, a third-year student in the Occupational Therapy Doctoral program, is the 2020 recipient of the Paul D. Ellsworth Endowed Scholarship in Occupational Therapy. The scholarship honors retired Army Lt. Col. Paul D. Ellsworth, OT, who retired from the occupational therapy faculty in 1998 and passed away in 2016.

“We have no doubt Ms. Urigwe will be a leader in the occupational therapy profession, as her career goals include participating in advocacy, research, and social innovation to support people’s ability to engage in their daily occupations,” said Associate Professor and Department Chair Bridgett Piernik-Yoder, Ph.D., OTR. “We are very happy to see Mr. Ellsworth’s legacy support student leaders like Stephanie Urigwe.”

Urigwe is president of her class, serves on the diversity council of the School of Health Professions, and is the student representative on the �����Թ� Library Committee. She also serves as an occupational therapy mentor for the Black Health Professionals Organization at UTSA and has volunteered with a wide range of organizations.

Now in her second clinical rotation, Urigwe is working in an inpatient and acute rehabilitation setting. Her first rotation was in a mental health setting. 

“You really see the different populations, but the needs are fundamental human needs,” she said. “It has been really enlightening and humbling. I’ve gained a perspective of how important it is to seek out this type of work and how impactful it is for me on a human level to help people with their daily tasks—dressing themselves, being able to sit up so they can take a shower— just the human dignity of all of that.”

With an interest in the world, cultures, advocacy, and policy, Urigwe remains interested in making systems work better for people of all backgrounds. 

“I don’t know where I fit in the soup of things, but overall I am interested in health and the ability to make an impact on the individual and the population at large,” she said.