Robert White’s goal of working as an occupational therapy
assistant with children who have special needs has been challenged by the
pandemic.
While taking classes at Grossmont College, White had been
handling a caseload of young clients so he could support himself and his new
wife. When the pandemic hit, his caseload was cut in half and his billings were
dramatically reduced.
White said the scholarships he received through the
Foundation for Grossmont & Cuyamaca Colleges helped him stay in school and
pay his bills.
“It made me feel like all of the hard work I was doing was acknowledged,” White
said of receiving the three scholarships. “It made me motivated to keep going
and finish.”
White, 35, already had a bachelor’s degree in psychology
from the State University of New York at Brockport and was working with special-needs
children when he decided to move to San Diego 10 years ago. He enrolled in the
occupational therapy assistant program at Grossmont College after seeing the
work that occupational therapists did with the children.