Physical Therapist Assistant Graduates Gather to Celebrate Success

Physical Therapist Assistant Graduates from SCFGather to Celebrate Success

This past summer, four alumni from the Physical Therapist Assistant (PTA) program class of 2018— Derrick Hawkins, Jose Sanchez, Victoria Kolbach and Joanna Hennessey—decided to put together an alumni reunion as their community service project. They organized a luncheon and laid the groundwork for a PTA scholarship. More than 70 alumni from the program gathered in the Together Manatee Community Room at SCF Bradenton’s Library & Learning Center. The 19th anniversary event included lunch catered by Sonny’s BBQ. Del Carr, a PTA professor, and Matt Connell, PTA program director, welcomed the group and awarded prizes during the afternoon. The alumni were able to raise $730 for educational opportunities in the PTA program and would like to host educational events for students and the community on how to optimize wellness and physical function throughout life, said Carr, who oversaw the student project. The gathering was a precursor to the 20th Anniversary reunion the alumni are planning for the coming summer. They hope to gather most of the 300 graduates to renew relationships forged during hours of studying and relying on one another for support through the rigorous program. Faculty from the program’s two decades are also invited to join the anniversary celebration. Carr said he is looking forward to the 20th year reunion of the program and hopes that in addition to students, alumni and faculty, clinic and hospital partners, who have offered clinical rotations to students and have supported the program through the decades, will join SCF in the celebration. The 20th anniversary reunion offers an opportunity for alumni to network, catch-up on their classmates’ families and careers and to support the PTA program. And some food and fun are sure to be thrown in.

“By putting together this alumni event, the students discovered the immense value in maintaining connections. One of the students in the class of 2019, who volunteered at the event, was so inspired she wants to develop a scholarship for PTA students.”