Two students receive Vira Heinz Scholarships

Phylicia Patterson and Kaitlin Zapel will each receive a total of $5,000 to support a summer study abroad program of their choice and follow-up education and interaction with the community.

Patterson, a sophomore from Bradford, is majoring in biology in the pre-physician’s assistant program. She will visit San Jose, Costa Rica, to concentrate on environmental studies.

Patterson said, “I believe that science and the environment play an important role in the health field.”

She hopes the various field experiences she will have in Costa Rica will help her apply what she has only read about in books.

Zapel, also a sophomore from Bradford, is a human relations major who will return to Otovalo, Ecuador, to continue research she conducted last year with fellow student Jason Nussbaum and faculty advisor Dr. Michael Stuckart, associate professor of anthropology and director of the human relations program.

In addition to researching the production process of woven textiles, Zapel hopes to learn Quichua, the pre-Columbian language spoken in the highlands of Ecuador. “I recognize the effect of globalization and the increasing importance of being fluent in more than one language,” Zapel said.

Prior to leaving for their summer study experiences, the women will attend a leadership workshop in Pittsburgh with Heinz recipients from 14 other colleges. A follow-up workshop will be held in the fall after their return, at which time each woman will learn how to design and implement a community engagement experience.

“The community engagement experience is a way for each young woman to translate what they learned in their host county into a relevant experience for the people in their home communities,” explained Isabelle Champlin, assistant professor of anthropology and director of the international studies program. “It’s a way for the women to give back while enhancing their leadership skills.”

In the past, projects have been conducted at George G. Blaisdell Elementary School and the Federal Correctional Institution -- McKean, for example.

Fifteen colleges in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia participate in the Heinz scholarship program.

“The opportunity to network with 40 or more incredibly talented and motivated young women is a tremendous bonus each woman will carry into her future career,” Champlin said.

The mission of the Heinz Endowments is to help the southwestern Pennsylvania region thrive as a whole community – economically, ecologically, educationally and culturally – while advancing the state of knowledge and practice in fields of emphasis, which include philanthropy in general and the disciplines represented in their five grant-making programs: arts and culture; children, youth and families; education; environment; and innovation economy. While the majority of its giving is concentrated within southwestern Pennsylvania, the Heinz Endowments work wherever necessary, including statewide and nationally, to fulfill their missions.

--30--