First Swank Scholarship presented to CHEP undergrad
J. Rachel McCulley, center, is the recipient of the Swank Foundation scholarship. Also pictured are Denise Schwartz, left, and Nancy Gale, Swank Foundation board members.
UDaily is produced by Communications and Marketing
The Academy Building
105 East Main Street
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716 • USA
Phone: (302) 831-2792
email: ocm@udel.edu
www.udel.edu/ocm

3:06 p.m., May 14, 2009----J. Rachel McCulley, a sophomore majoring in human services, with minors in disabilities studies and political science, has received the first Swank Human Services Disabilities Scholarship at the University of Delaware.

THIS STORY
Email E-mail
Delicious Print
Twitter

Sponsored by the Howard W. Swank, Alma K. Swank, and Richard Kemper Swank Foundation, the scholarship was created to promote excellence in disability-related services in the state of Delaware.

The Swank Human Services Disabilities Scholarship provides financial support including tuition, books, fees and related expenses up to $18,000 for the recipient's junior and senior years at the University. The recipient must be a Delaware resident.

McCulley and future recipients of the scholarship will engage in a two-year program designed to enhance their experiences in human disabilities and service delivery. In addition to completing a minor in disabilities studies, they will be expected to participate in an approved research, service or demonstration project related to people with disabilities each year.

The awards are granted upon the recommendation of the faculty of the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Education and Public Policy and made with the expressed understanding that the recipient will work in the field of services to persons with disabilities in Delaware for a minimum of two years upon graduation.

“The Department of Human Development and Family Studies is extremely grateful for the very generous gift in support of a scholarship by the Swank family,” said Professor Bahira Sherif Trask. “This scholarship, which allows a deserving student to pursue his or her studies with a specialization in disabilities, contributes in a highly valuable manner to a segment of our society where assistance is greatly needed.”

Representatives of the Swank Foundation presented the award to McCulley at Honors Day ceremonies on May 8.

“We were happy to participate in the day's events and represent the Swank family,” said Nancy Gale, a member of the board of directors of the Swank Foundation who was on hand to present the award. “Rachel is a wonderful recipient of our first scholarship, and we look forward to following her career.”

In the summer of 2008, McCulley was an intern with Autism Delaware, a nonprofit advocacy group in Newark. She continued working with Autism Delaware throughout the school year by facilitating a biweekly game night for teens and preteens with Asperger's syndrome and high-functioning autism. She has also served as an intern with UD's Office of Disabilities Support Services.

McCulley is a resident assistant at the Ray Street dormitory complex on campus and represents the Resident Student Association in the UD Faculty Senate. She is a member of the UD Undergraduate Student Senate and the Student Council for Exceptional Children, a registered student organization that pairs members with a “buddy” with a disability.

“I am eager to return to Autism Delaware this summer where I will get to work with their programs to support adults with autism,” McCulley said. “Although my ultimate goal is to work in disability advocacy, I need the experience of working with individuals to truly understand what I am advocating for. I want to use my education to equip myself with all of the necessary tools and skills to work in a nonprofit where I can one day make my mark in the lives of people with disabilities by advocating for positive change.”

Article by Beth Chajes

close