PA Students Bolstered by Military
Students Receive Scholarships for Veterans & Health Professions
Physician Assistant (PA) Studies student Judith Pascarella ’17, received the LtC David Gwinn Memorial/Veterans Caucus Scholarship for 2017 from the Veterans Caucus. Pascarella, who is a lieutenant colonel with 19 years of service (six years of active service and the remainder in the Virginia National Guard and Army Reserves), learned about the scholarship from the Veterans Caucus website. She was excited and honored to be awarded the $2,000 scholarship, which helps with the cost of tuition, commuting to more remote clinical sites, and housing. “It is a competitive scholarship, and to be chosen among so many amazing candidates was a great privilege,” said Pascarella, who decided to be come a PA after being exposed to the work of PAs while serving in a medical brigade. “I love the practice model based on team work and the flexibility of the profession. I chose Shenandoah’s PA program for multiple reasons, including its commitment to under-served communities, the warm and inclusive teaching and learning environment, and opportunities for veteran education.”
Physician Assistant Studies student James Dillard ’18 was recently commissioned in the United States Air Force (USAF) as a second lieutenant through the Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). This program provides reimbursement for tuition, living, and other expenses in return for three years of active duty service in the USAF followed by five years of inactive reserve service, which will begin upon graduation and licensure as a physician assistant (PA). Dillard said, “I look forward to practicing as a PA in the military serving those who protect and defend our freedom or those who sacrifice time with their loved one for our country. I also am excited to bring the skills I acquire from my service to the community in which I one day live.”
Photo: Judith Pascarella ’17 and Distinguished Professor & Director of the Division of Physician Assistant Studies Anthony A. Miller, M.Ed., PA-C, with Pascarella’s Veterans Caucus scholarship award.
