By Kristen Lutz
AMTA-MA Chapter Newsletter & Email Editor
I had the pleasure of "sitting down" with one of our 2020 Dianne Polseno Scholarship Recipient, Shannon Luongo, to get to know a little more about how this award will affect her and her future practice. Shannon was the recipient of $500 and a free year of AMTA-MA membership. Did you know we have one $1,000 and two $500 (PLUS A YEAR OF FREE AMTA MEMBERSHIP!) just waiting for some brilliant and talented souls to take home each year? Here's what Shannon had to say about how the scholarship will make an impact on her career.
Q. How did you hear about the Dianne Polseno Scholarship?
A. Attending Bancroft, the administration is very informative about scholarship opportunities that are available to us. They usually put up flyers in the break room so we don’t miss out.
Q. Where are you attending school and do you have a favorite class/area of study?
A. I am currently attending Bancroft School of Massage Therapy. I can honestly say I don’t have a particular class that is my favorite because each time I have started a new class, it has been just as exciting as the last. Due to the current situation I haven’t been able to finish my schooling but I am looking forward to the upcoming courses.
Q. What will be the first thing you do with your Scholarship Award? If you're not sure, you can talk about some ways the money will help you prepare for the start of your practice.
A. At the moment the hopes of working at my own massage therapy practice is at a standstill. Once I do have the ability to practice in my own space, I want to put the money towards the basics like table covers and warmers, new sheets and blankets. Cleaning supplies and other essentials to make my practice as comfortable for the client as possible.
Q. How will the Award make an impact on your massage therapy practice?
A. Not only will this scholarship give me the money to gather the supplies I need to form my ideal message space but also by writing this essay for the scholarship, I got to look at just how many opportunities AMTA offers for continuing education. That way, as I continue to practice massage I will have the grounding of Bancroft as well as the additional knowledge that I gain to fuse into my treatment.