Laura Valentino Selected as 2nd Recipient of the Williams Health Education Teaching Fellowship

Laura Valentino with Dr. Roger Shipley
at the Spring 2014 Internship Fair

On behalf of TWU Health Studies and the Fellowship Committee, we would like to announce the recipient of the 2^nd Janice Williams Health Education Teaching Fellowship is Laura Valentino.  She will receive $7500.00 for the 2014-2015 academic year.  Laura is part of the Fall 2013 doctoral cohort. In addition to teaching HS 4121 Internship Preparation, Laura currently serves as Vice President Public Relations for the Pioneer Power Speakers (Toastmasters International) club, is the president-elect for TSOPHE (Texas Society for Public Health Education), a member of the TWU Graduate Student Council, and is the founding president of the TWU chapter of Alpha Epsilon Lambda.

Laura had this to say:

I was excited to open my mail recently and find that I had been awarded the Janice C. Williams Fellowship for the 2014-2015 school year. I had to read the letter twice to make doubly sure of what it said. I am so grateful to have received the fellowship because it gives me a chance to teach a variety of courses and to prepare for my career as a tenured professor in health studies. Receiving the fellowship is a great honor as I know it was highly competitive. I am grateful to Dr. Janice C. Williams for the opportunity to be able to teach while completing my doctorate and for my mentors who have encouraged me along the way.  

Dr. Janice C. Williams graduated from Texas Woman's University with a Ph.D. in Health Studies in 1973. After she graduated, she taught public school in Texas and Louisiana. She developed health teaching programs for Texas State University, Virginia Tech University and Texas A&M-Kingsville. Dr. Williams passed away in 2011. She generously left $340,000 to the Department of Health Studies and Dance Department to develop fellowships. The Williams Health Education Endowed Teaching Fellowship supports doctoral students in the TWU Health Studies Department with a teaching fellowship.

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