ACAPT's diversity award winner Stephanie Eton advocates and empowers students and minorities within PT education
To support diversity in academic and clinical PT leadership, the leading voice of physical therapist education programs funded diversity awards to the APTA Academy of Education Fellowship in Higher Education Leadership (formerly
ELI) again in 2024.
ACAPT offered one award of $7,000 for the Fellowship in Higher Education Leadership (FHEL) annually, plus up to $5,000 for travel and expenses.
Congrats to a recent award recipient:
Stephanie Eton, PT, DPT, Board Certified Geriatric Specialist
Assistant Professor of Practice & Director of Residency Education
University of Tennessee Chattanooga
Below is a recap from Stephanie:
Having recently completed the APTA Academy of Education Fellowship in Higher Education Leadership (FHEL), I aim to participate in the National Equity Diversity and Inclusion Commission and the Institute for Community Engagement task force. Receiving support from ACAPT to pursue FHEL allows me to uphold ACAPT's mission through my goals and influence as a WOC. It also allows networking and community building to achieve outreach for diversity. Further, representing the Latino/a/x community as a recipient of ACAPT's grant would be an honor.
I am a first-generation American, Latina daughter of Nicaraguan immigrants. I envision my grandmothers, great-grandmothers, and past matriarchs, and I sense pride from these women because of my accomplishments. I owe everything to the sacrifices and adversities they endured. Were it not for their hardships, I wouldn't be here today. If selected for the grant, I would uphold the academy's highest standards while carrying forward the aspirations of my ancestors. I will honor my heritage and exemplify people-centric leadership while fulfilling the objectives of FHEL.
Moreover, I plan to exemplify the values of perseverance, resiliency, emotional intelligence, and hard work. Finally, I plan to pursue diversity, equity, anti-racism, and inclusion. With FHEL's support, I can be influential in my pursuit of these values through leadership positions. I am confident that developing my leadership abilities will contribute to PTE because of my passion for minority empowerment, belongingness, and mentorship support.