Posted on April 1, 2019 by Chapter Staff
Originally Published in HAPTA’s e-Newsletter, What’s HAPTAnin’ – April 2019

HAPTA member Landon Luna, who is a student at Kapiolani Community College in Honolulu, received an APTA Minority Scholarship Award in 2019. Congratulations Landon!

“Landon has been a standout student in our program, both academically and in the community,” said KCC PTA Program Director Bennett Zazzera, PT, DPT, Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist. “He is driven by his sincere desire to make a positive change to the health challenges facing his Native Hawaiian community.”

Each year, APTA’s Physical Therapy Fund awards scholarships to a handful of students who demonstrate participation in minority affairs and services, the potential for superior achievements as a physical therapist assistant, and academic excellence.

In his application essay, Landon talks about his journey to rebuild sustainability in Hawaii and wahi pana (heartbeats of this land). “Looking back on the time Iʻve spent with the people and land that I cherish, I wholeheartedly believe that this has made me feel that Iʻm doing good and honest work just as my ancestors once did by tending to the land and the people that live in it,” he wrote. He said of his future patients, “I am even more excited to learn from them and hear their stories than what they will learn from me.”