Alumna Finds Fulfillment Working with "Intrepid" VA Amputees

Vanlandingham working with a patient at the Center for the Intrepid.

One graduate of BW's School of Health, Physical Education and Sport Sciences is putting her education to work for "intrepid" amputees who are determined to resume a robust, active lifestyle.

Alumna Alicia White Vanlandingham '04 currently works as a physical therapist for active duty service members and veterans with amputations at the Department of Veterans Affairs' Center for the Intrepid in San Antonio, Texas.

Before their injuries, Vanlandingham's patients were in the best physical conditions of their lives. At the Center for the Intrepid, they push themselves beyond day-to-day functionality, beyond just walking with a prosthesis. By using a sports medicine approach, Vanlandingham tells us she is able to help patients participate in rigorous activities again like "hiking, biking, running, swimming, and jumping out of planes!"

"Because of the guidance and education I received during my time at BW, I am able to confidently help these service members as they recover from life altering injuries," Vanlandingham tells us.

At BW, Vanlandingham earned her undergraduate degree with a double major in Athletic Training and Pre Physical Therapy. Reflecting upon her BW education, she says, "The staff at BW led by example and my classmates became a supportive team. Not a day goes by that I am not reminded of the foundation which they provided."

Vanlandingham went on from BW to earn a doctorate in physical therapy from the University of Miami and has worked as an adjunct professor at Baylor University and Texas State.

Pre-Physical Therapy Major has High-Flying Internship Overseas

Levin (bottom) skydiving over the coast of Israel. 

As college students, many of us spend our summers building our resumes through internships and volunteer opportunities. Jon Levin '17 is spending his summer doing just that, but with a major plot twist. Levin's internship is in Bnei Brak, Israel.

The pre-physical therapy and exercise science major is interning as an assistant to the physical therapists at Ateret Rimonim, a retirement home, located in Bnei Brak. The eight week internship has included working with patients on motor functions, occupational therapy activities and daily exercises. Although he is not licensed to lead physical therapy by himself, Levin is able to assist with small physical therapy exercises and activities under supervision.

Representing Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity at The Kotel in Jerusalem

Levin and his fellow interns use their days off to travel around Israel. He's had the opportunity to visit Jerusalem and the City of David, repel down a 164-foot cliff in Tel Aviv and, his favorite experience: skydiving over the coast of Israel (see photo!). At 11,000 feet above the coast, he was able to see some incredible views of both Israel and Lebanon.

The Olmsted Falls native tells us that his time in Israel has exceeded his expectations. "I am loving being in Israel for the summer and the experiences that I have had are ones that cannot be replicated in the States."

Levin heard about this opportunity through the Jewish Federation of Cleveland, and competed to land the internship in an extensive interview process. The effort, he says,  has proved to be completely worth it!

BW Senior Earns National Scholarship and Leadership Award

Recognition times two for Tianna Cobb ’15! The BW senior recently earned a UPS Foundation, Inc. Scholarship through the Foundation for Independent Higher Education (FIHE) and also received the Bobby Gunn Leadership Award from the National Athletic Training Association this summer.

The 2009 graduate of Jefferson County Christian School is double-majoring in pre-physical therapy and athletic training with a minor in biology.

Cobb is involved in many organizations on BW’s campus, including membership in the Pre-Physical Therapy and Exercise Science Student Organization and service on the student advisory board for BW's School of Health, Physical Education and Sports Sciences. She also serves as the secretary for the Collegiate Organization for Athletic Student Trainers (COAST) and is a Student Ambassador for the university.

After graduation, Cobb plans to pursue a doctorate in physical therapy with an ultimate career goal of becoming an athletic trainer for an NFL team.

Being On Top of Their Game Leads to Grad School Success

BW's Women’s Lacrosse alumni Ellen Fedick '14 and Becky Russell '14 have scored goals both on and off the field, landing in top graduate school programs.

Ellen Fedick '14

Fedick and Russell both received accolades for academic success as part of a BW lacrosse team recognition by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA).

Becky Russell '14

Fedick, of Rochester, N.Y., earned a 3.98 GPA. It was the highest among all BW student-athletes during the 2013-14 school year. She was also named a Jacket Scholar. A pre-physical therapy major, Fedick is enrolled in physician's assistant program at Trevecca Nazarene University (Nashville, Tenn.).

Russell, a native of Glenshaw, Pa., also majored in pre-physical therapy at BW and was a Jacket Scholar. She earned an outstanding 3.94 GPA. She is enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh in its top-ranked physical therapy graduate program.

Top of Her Class

The BW Class of 2013 included an amazing number of accomplished graduates, but only one was presented with the the Milton T. Baldwin Prize for achieving the highest GPA among the 813 grads. Jennifer Evans of Strongsville earned a whopping 3.989 GPA en route to earning her degree in Pre-Physical Therapy and Public Health.  Jen will be attending Ohio State University to pursue a Doctorate of Physical Therapy. Read more on the Strongsville Patch news site.