BANFORD SCHOLARSHIP HELPS DREAMS COME TRUE FOR ADULT SHRP STUDENTS

The first D. J. Banford Awards were presented recently at the School of Health Related Professions’ Awards Day. The annual awards provide support and encouragement for occupational therapy students who are also parents of young children. 

The following letter by Daniel Sowers, one of the Banford Award recipients, addresses the challenges he faced while completing his college education. Like many other Medical Center award and scholarship recipients, Sowers said his life has been positively impacted by the generous contributions of these donors.

In 1989, I moved to Mississippi with a promising career in the performing arts. I was a professional dancer with Ballet Mississippi. My salary was minimal, so I taught dance lessons at their school and worked another part-time job in the evenings to supplement my income. Two years later, I was married and enrolled part-time at a local community college as a backup plan to my arts career.

The ballet started having financial difficulties and could not guarantee contracts. One year later, I was unemployed, and two years later, the ballet folded. 

I continued working and made college a priority. My free time was dedicated to working afternoons, evenings and weekends so I could afford tuition. None of my jobs were stable or dependable. At one point, I was working as many as five different jobs.

It took me three years to complete an Associate’s Degree and in 1994, I continued my education at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The pressures of working, going to school and maintaining a family life were overwhelming. I felt compelled to provide for my family, and two semesters into school, I failed a class because of the lack of time-management. I was dismissed from the school’s program and there was no way to return. It was final.

I concentrated on supporting my family and spent the next 10 years working several jobs. They were all failures. One ended with the company filing bankruptcy; another job yielded no income; a third resulted in my demotion because of corporate downsizing. Only one job provided me enough income to support my family, but it did not last.

My employer closed several stores nationwide, which negatively affected my job. I was demoted and my new hours reflected a 20-percent cut in pay. The corporate downsizing and employment change was unbearable. It caused personal as well as financial hardship. I was severely depressed and needed to make a change.

Through divine intervention, I was reacquainted with a professor in the OT program in the School of Health Related Professions at UMC. I was informed that I could return to school and apply to the occupational therapy program. I was surprised, but eager to finish my degree.

After a decade of absenteeism from college, I was accepted back into their professional program. I immediately quit my job and applied for financial aid/assistance. It was a second chance at completing my educational dream.

I have just graduated from the School of Health Related Professions at UMC. It is my third year of hard work and adult responsibilities. I never gave up my educational dream, and I now have my MOT degree, which will be a new start on life.

I have accumulated a substantial amount of debt during my three years, even with the help of state and government funding. That is why I am thankful to receive the D.J. Banford Scholarship. I do not know its monetary amount, but I deeply appreciate any assistance.

This scholarship will enable me to reach my educational goal, something that has eluded me for 14 years. I will be taking the National Board Exam and getting my license to practice very soon. I have not chosen my professional specialty, but I enjoy working with all kinds of people – physically disabled, developmentally or learning-impaired, the elderly, children, and mental health patients.

My educational and professional dreams are now coming true with the help of the D.J. Banford Scholarship. Thank you for being part of this milestone in my life.

(6-25-07)

2007-06-22 00:00:00 17061