Esther Wallace Scholarship
Julia Hinckley
Julia Hinckley is a freshman of the Commonwealth Honors College at UMass Amherst. A Norton, Mass. native, Julia is majoring in Kinesiology and on a track toward becoming a physician’s assistant. During her first semester at UMass, she joined the Public Health Club to further support her interests. During high school, she interned at a physical therapy practice. Also, she had the unique experience of being able to shadow an orthopedic physician assistant multiple times, both in the operating room at New England Baptist Hospital and in the office during patient visits, which solidified her commitment to a future in public health.
It is with sincere gratitude that I accept the Esther Wallace scholarship toward my studies at UMass Amherst. This scholarship will help to alleviate some of my financial responsibilities and allow me to put my efforts toward my studies on a path to becoming a physician assistant. This scholarship will ultimately support my goals, allowing me to be of service to others in the medical field. Thank you very much for this generous gift!
Ava Gonsalves
Ava Gonsalves is the fall 2022 recipient of the Esther Wallace Scholarship. She was recognized during the 2023 SPHHS Awards Celebration in spring 2023.
I want to take the time to thank you for choosing me as the recipient for this year's scholarship. I am a first-year student at UMass Amherst in the school of Public Health and Sciences as a kinesiology major hoping to become a physical therapist. I am deeply grateful and honored to be chosen for this, and cannot thank you enough for it. This truly does mean a lot to my family and I. Moving forward, I will be able to focus on my academics as well and not allow my financial responsibilities to overwhelm me, which I am so blessed to even say. Again, thank you for your time and consideration for this scholarship and opportunity.
Academics have always been hard for me growing up, as I was always so hard on myself for making sure I got the A. However, when I reached my senior year of high school, I soon began to see how all these so-called ‘perfect grades’ do not define you as an individual. What truly matters in this world, and how others will perceive you is your character. This can range from Being on a sports team, club team, or helping in your own community. These activities not only permit me to create so many amazing memories and friendships, but also allow me to grow as an individual and learn so much about myself, and how I want to give back to others.
I plan on pursuing a career in physical therapy in the future to work with individuals who have been injured and get back to doing what they love. I am a very active person, and growing up I was involved with sports such as soccer, lacrosse, and track. My freshman year, I had made the varsity soccer team, and I had never felt so
proud and excited for myself. However, in the first scrimmage I was injured and sprained my ankle. Unfortunately, I was out for a longer period of time as a sprain takes longer to heal. However, when going to physical therapy and seeing others with even more heartbreaking injuries, it makes me realize some of these people have incredible lives and were missing out on some admirable things due to these injuries. Therefore, I want to be there for people like the ones I saw at physical therapy not only as a doctor but as a friend, to let them know they are not alone and are going to get back to their remarkable lives and accomplish great things.