Julianna LaLuzerne has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship to the Harris Department of Physician Assistant Studies at Wingate University.
The scholarship, funded by Pamela and William T. Crowder of Crowder Construction Company in Charlotte, honors former professor Eric Yarborough.
According to a news release, the award is reserved for a student veteran or member of a military reserve unit who is interested in mental health or pediatrics and has a passion for community service. LaLuzerne, a native of Fountain Hills, Arizona, met each of the criteria.
The 25-year-old earned her bachelor of arts in cognitive science with a minor in occupational science from the University of Southern California in 2015, the same year she received a commission into the Army Reserves, where she serves as a first lieutenant.
LaLuzerne plans to pursue a full-time Army career, inspired in part by her grandfather, who was a World War II veteran.
“My grandfather served in Poland with the U.S. Army Air Corps. When he returned home, he bore the invisible emotional scars that so many service members carry with them throughout their lives,” she said. “Although we were close, he never spoke to me about his experience during the war because of the painful memories it brought him.”
When she learned about post-traumatic stress disorder as a high school student, she recognized this as the cause of her grandfather’s suffering.
“This realization influenced my desire to pursue a career working with veterans,” LaLuzerne wrote in the essay she turned in to the scholarship committee. “My desire to work with veterans continues, and upon completion of the Wingate physician assistant program, I plan to pursue a full-time career with the Army and hope to work in a primary care setting.”
Scholarship candidates must have a grade point average of at least 3.5 and be recommended by a member of a community service organization with which they have worked. A member of the Wingate’s Class of 2020, LaLuzerne was presented with the scholarship by Bill Crowder, an alumnus and trustee of Wingate University, and Yarborough, who was one of Crowder’s mentors.
Julianna LaLuzerne has been awarded a $5,000 scholarship to the Harris Department of Physician Assistant Studies at Wingate University. Bill Crowder (left) and Eric Yarborough presented the award.