Brenda Schlichting, 2006 W. Garfield Weston scholar

Brenda Schlichting (Upper-Year W. Garfield Weston Award 2006) is focused on nurturing the health and fitness of others. It was this desire that motivated her to pursue a diploma in the occupational therapist assistant and physiotherapist assistant program at Mohawk College in Hamilton, following some years of uncertainty about her career. “I wanted to get involved in healthcare,” she explains, “and working with patients in a rehab setting appealed to me as an exciting challenge.”

Her diverse volunteer commitments are a testament to her dedication to physical well-being. At Mohawk College, she was vice-chair of the student athletics committee, for which she ran events and promoted athletics on campus. She also started up a “walk/run club” for her fellow students. Her involvement didn’t stop with physical activities, though—from setting up a scholarship award for her program to taking part in the United Way Garage Sale, she was active in many areas of college life.

Having worked as a rehab assistant following graduation, Brenda is now extending her knowledge of the healthcare world by tackling a new role at a Scarborough-area hospital. “I want to have a more holistic understanding of healthcare,” she says. “I hope that I can combine my rehabilitation training and administrative skills into one career—either administration or management of a rehab area or perhaps getting involved with a college training program.”