Samantha Bauer receives scholarship from Elmhurst American Association of University Women

ELMHURST – Samantha Bauer is the recipient of the 2016 Returning Student Scholarship, which is presented by the American Association of University Women Elmhurst Area Branch.

In a news release sent by the American Association of University Women, Bauer thanked the Elmhurst Area Branch for the opportunity to attend Washington University in St. Louis, where she will work toward her master’s degree in occupational therapy.

She plans to pass the NBCOT exam and practice as an occupational therapist, the release stated.

Bauer graduated in 2011 with a bachelor’s degree in art (cum laude) from Washington University in St. Louis, where she majored in psychology and in women, gender and sexuality studies.

However, it was her experience being paired with a boy at the Caring for Kids Camp coordinated by the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago that challenged her, according to the release.

The boy was nonverbal, low functioning and a reluctant participant in anything. As the child started to respond positively to her sensory activity suggestions, Samantha knew occupational therapy was her goal.

“I eagerly await the day I can implement what I’ve learned and create deep, positive change in the life of another as a full-fledged occupational therapist,” she wrote in her scholarship application essay.

Scholarship funded by
annual Used Book Sale

The American Association of University Women Returning Student Scholarship is awarded annually to a woman age 25 or older who is returning to school to continue her education at the undergraduate or graduate level.

It is funded by proceeds from the branch’s annual Used Book Sale, which this year was July 30 through Aug. 2.

For more information, visit www.aauwelmhurst.org.