Stephanie Wu dreams of one day becoming a doctor. Thanks to Ford she is one step closer to achieving her dream. The 21-year old senior at the University of California-Davis is studying biological sciences in the classroom, while spending hundreds of hours as a volunteer at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in San Francisco.
Stephanie's dedication and volunteer service is paying off in a number of ways. The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) has recognized her efforts with a $15,000 Jesse Brown Memorial Youth Scholarship, the top award in the program supported by Ford Motor Company Fund.
"My family and I are very grateful," said Stephanie. "I didn't realize Ford was such a big sponsor of the scholarship. I'm really amazed."
The money will certainly come in handy as Stephanie prepares for her final year of undergraduate studies, but the scholarship is just one part of her rewarding efforts on behalf of the DAV. During nearly 500 hours of volunteer activity, Stephanie has worked in the Clinical Nutrition Department talking with patients about exercise and eating healthier. She participated in research studies involving bone biology and osteoporosis, and the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder on cardiovascular disease. She also helped veterans kick the smoking habit and spent time with patients at a nursing home. These are valuable experiences for someone entering the medical field, along with life lessons you can't learn from a book.
"Being in close contact with the veterans and hearing their stories were very meaningful parts of my experience," said Stephanie. "I didn’t know very much about veterans and their service to our country when I first started at the VA, but after getting to know them, I feel much more connected."
Stephanie was one of twelve outstanding young volunteers recognized by DAV with scholarships for generously giving their time to help veterans in their local community. In addition to a $25,000 contribution to the scholarship program, Ford Motor Company Fund once again donated $200,000 for the purchase of seven new vehicles for the DAV Transportation Network. Volunteers use the vans to take sick and disabled veterans to appointments at VA medical centers. Since 1996, Ford has donated 148 vans, worth more than $3.5 million to the DAV. Ford and the DAV have a partnership that stretches back nearly 90 years.
