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“I always benefited from the hands-on learning at ����Vlog�ٷ�, and I wanted to give that back to students,” Curtis Penny explained as he accepted his award from the Physical Therapy Assistant program. Penny, a ����Vlog�ٷ� alum and Certified Prosthetist/Orthotist, received a service award from the PTA program for his work teaching students about prosthetics for amputees. 

This collaboration began when the PTA program reached out to John Roberts, the CPO and clinic manager of , who kindly volunteered to teach ����Vlog�ٷ� PTA students about how to provide best practice care to individuals who have lost limbs, and who are in need of prosthetics. Penny, a mentee of Roberts’, soon joined him in volunteering with students.

“The value of learning from someone first-hand who works with physical therapists and physical therapist assistants to provide prosthetics can’t be overstated,” said Marc Duyck, the PTA instructor who gave the award. “It builds the compassion and understanding for our students that is essential in physical therapy work.”

In his acceptance speech, Penny shared his own experience at ����Vlog�ٷ�, and how much it meant to him to receive a diverse education, fostering both his love of soccer and music, and to be known by name by all his instructors. He encouraged students to actively find ways to make their learning collaborative and hands-on. 

This special PTA service award was last given 5 years ago to Jeremy Robbins, who routinely drove down from Portland to share his experience with a spinal cord injury to ����Vlog�ٷ� PTA students. 

An award was also given to outstanding PTA student, Ramsan Aung, who Duyck said is a highly engaged student who expressed the need of the required textbook to prepare for the National Physical Therapy Exam. Aung received a free, new copy of the text book.