Presidential Scholarship Recipients Announced

July 2011—The Presidential Scholarship is awarded to graduates of a Walden University master’s program who demonstrate a personal, continued commitment to public service as they work toward a doctorate to improve their professional effectiveness. In June, Walden named three 2011 recipients.

Recipient: Abimbola Farinde

Program: MS in Psychology to PhD in Psychology

Title: Clinical pharmacist/co-pharmacy director at Lufkin State Supported Living Center in Pollok, Texas

Public Service Goal: To provide counseling that develops a working alliance between the patients and other members of the healthcare staff.

How the Doctorate Will Improve My Professional Effectiveness: “Obtaining a doctoral degree from Walden University will not only allow me to make the impact that I desperately wish to have by being a social change agent in the research community, but also will enable me to actively use my knowledge to educate up-and-coming clinicians undergoing the transition to effective scholar-practitioners.”
 

Recipient: Nga Voong Hawk

Program: Master of Public Health (MPH) to PhD in Public Health

Title: Biologist, National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Md.

Public Service Goal: To make important biomedical research discoveries that improve the quality of health in America and save lives.

How the Doctorate Will Improve My Professional Effectiveness: “Pursuing my doctorate at Walden will teach me how to design and implement independent research from concept through dissemination. The dissertation requirements will strengthen my writing and critical thinking skills. Learning to write succinctly will help me to publish and disseminate research findings in primary peer-reviewed journals and professional meetings. Ultimately, receiving my doctorate from Walden will enable me to achieve my long-term goal of meaningfully helping to keep our nation and world healthy.”

Recipient: Romaine A. Wright

Program: MS in Psychology to PhD in Psychology

Title: Quality assurance manager at North Carolina Recovery Support Services in Raleigh

Public Service Goal: To have a successful private practice that focuses on relationships and takes a cognitive-behavioral approach to restructuring the way people interact with each other.

How the Doctorate Will Improve My Professional Effectiveness: “Walden’s mission of social change is consistent with my desire to empower and expand the thinking of the people in my community by strengthening relationships and improving interpersonal communication in all settings through a consulting business. The emphasis on leadership and development in the doctoral program will arm me with the knowledge and skills I need to effectively elicit change in my community across multiple settings in a variety of ways.”