Overcoming barriers, MAC student's excellence recognized

Savannah Long is in her third year in the MAC program. As a third-year student, she is in her field experience and made the choice to work in two field sites. Part of her time, Savannah is a field student at Tiffin University, where she is helping to address the ever-changing challenges posed by the pandemic and how this impacts college students' lives. Savannah’s second site is in neighboring Findlay, where she is seeing clients at The Sunshine Institute, a practice that serves a variety of client needs including youth and adults with varying abilities. 

This year Savannah has been awarded two national scholarships. She is a recipient of the 2020 Moebius Educational Scholarship. The Moebius Syndrome Foundation awarded four educational scholarships of $2,000 each, to individuals who have Moebius syndrome and would be attending a college/university/ post-secondary vocational school. 

Savannah was also awarded the #Rareis Life Enrichment Scholarship through The EveryLife Foundation for Rare Diseases. Savannah works with the EveryLife Foundation as a Young Adult Representative of Rare Disease Legislative Advocates (YARR) and says she “loves their involvement in the rare disease community.” 

The #Rareis Life Enrichment Scholarship call for applicants reads, “Living with a rare disease means managing unique challenges, including frequent doctor visits, rigorous treatment regimens and hospitalizations and exposure risks. While quality and duration of life continues to improve thanks to improved diagnosis and treatment approaches, individuals living with rare diseases still face disparities in achieving traditional life milestones.”

Savannah’s passion for helping others build tools to overcome barriers, her desire to work with youth and adolescents and her grit are all traits she exemplifies in and outside of the classroom. Congratulations Savannah!