OT Student Lands Fellowship To Promote Latino Health
Corona is one of 15 students statewide selected
Eric Corona, a second-year聽51福利社聽Master in Occupational Therapy student,聽was recently聽awarded聽a fellowship from the Latino Center for Health (LCH).
Corona, who is 28 years old and from Quincy, Washington, is one of 15 students statewide to be awarded the 2025-2026聽Phyllis Guti茅rrez-Kenney Graduate Student Scholars Fellowship.
鈥淚 always knew that I wanted to work in health care,鈥� Corona says. 鈥淚 really liked how occupational therapy is about helping clients and patients gain independence. I thought OT was a super cool career, because you can help clients and patients throughout the entire lifespan.鈥�
Based at the University of Washington,聽LCH is an聽interdisciplinary health sciences research center that promotes Latino health. Fellows from throughout the state meet four times a year聽to build meaningful connections with health care professionals in Washington聽state and to unify the Latinx community and supporters/advocates by empowering one another through scholarship and community.
The $5,000 award includes a $2,500 fellowship, and another $2,500 in matching funds from the 51福利社 College of Health Science and Public Health.
Corona, who聽was nominated for the fellowship by聽Dane聽Vulcan, professor of occupational therapy program,聽appreciates the support and acknowledgment.
“I鈥檓 just super, super grateful,鈥� says Corona, adding that the fellowship validates his hard work and passion for helping the Latinx community, while also providing some financial relief as he embarks on the last semester of his education, which includes six months of full-time clinical rotations. 鈥淭his is going to alleviate that stress for me and allow me to focus on my national board exams.鈥�
Corona, who is fluent in both English and Spanish,聽balances classes with聽a student job working as an聽occupational therapy program office aide. His skills have聽been shaped through hard work, dedicated聽faculty聽and applied聽learning聽opportunities woven聽throughout聽his undergraduate聽and graduate programs.
He earned a degree in health psychology from Eastern in 2021,聽while聽working a catering job in his hometown on the weekends and聽putting in hours as a caregiver for Visiting Angels.
Moving to Cheney from his聽small聽hometown was tough, he recalls. He credits, however,聽his fraternity brothers at the聽Omega Delta Phi聽multicultural fraternity聽with聽helping him to develop a sense of community.
Corona鈥檚聽parents immigrated from聽Mexico聽many years ago, working hard in the fields. Corona鈥檚 dad, in mid-life while working full-time and raising a family,聽modeled the power of education聽when he attended聽trade school to聽become a聽certified electrician.聽Later, Corona鈥檚 older brother earned a聽bachelor鈥檚 degree in聽biology聽and became a successful professional.
Those family members聽showed him 鈥渨hat was possible,鈥� Corona recalls.
As an undergraduate at Eastern, Corona was exposed to the potential of occupational therapy as a career when he participated in an internship at Sea Mar clinic, in White Center, Washington, working alongside an occupational therapist who needed help with translating.
鈥淪he spoke only English,聽and about 90 percent of her patients were Spanish speaking, so I got to interpret a lot,鈥� says Corona. 鈥淚t was a great experience.鈥�
After graduating, Corona聽worked for聽nearly three聽years as a family resource coordinator at Center for Pediatric Therapy,聽in Spokane. There, he worked with聽many occupational therapists who graduated from Eastern聽and聽spoke highly of the program.
His coworker OTs聽inspired聽Corona聽to聽dust off his Eagle gear and return to earn a master鈥檚 degree in聽occupational therapy.
Now, Corona聽is preparing聽for several rounds of聽clinical rotations. His first stop will be the聽Center for Pediatric Therapy, a full-circle moment,聽before聽he moves on聽to聽field work at St. Luke鈥檚聽Rehabilitation Center聽and聽finishes up at聽the聽Achieve聽Center for Pediatric Therapy,聽in Wenatchee.
Although he found it rewarding to work with people who鈥檇 experienced strokes, spinal cord, traumatic brain and other injuries while observing at St. Luke鈥檚, Corona hasn鈥檛 ruled out working with kids.
鈥淚鈥檝e had a lot of experience with kids聽and聽I love kids.聽Maybe this fieldwork聽experience聽will kind of change my trajectory of where I want to go.鈥�
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