THE COMMUNIQUÉ
2 01 9 I L O TA AWA R D R E C I P I E N T S
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Morgan Stasell: OT Student Award
The OT Student Award
honors an OT student
who has demonstrated
leadership and excel-
lence in academic or
clinical performance, as
well as exceptional abil-
ity to promote OT
through their activities.
Last year’s recipient was
Morgan Stasell, an OT
student at Rush Univer-
sity. Previously, she has
received the Carole B.
Segal Foundation Schol-
arship, a merit-based
scholarship. She has
also co-presented at the
2018 ILOTA Conference
on telehealth and at the 2019 AOTA Conference in
New Orleans, addressing the occupation of travel,
educating the hotel industry to improve access and
hospitality for those with disabilities. For the past two
years, she has been a member of the Editorial Com-
mittee of the Communique, eagerly and efficiently
completing all Communique assignments within
deadlines. She has contributed several articles to
ILOTA’s Communique. In addition, she was the
ILOTA’s Student Co-Liaison and is also a board
member of the Young Professionals Council at Ac-
cess Living. Upon receiving the award, Stasell re-
ported, "Getting this award reminds me of all of the
great mentors I have had throughout my time as an
OT student. My mentors have encouraged and sup-
ported me to become involved in both our state and
national professional organizations. I have gained
tremendous learning experiences from both of these,
and I plan to stay heavily involved in our OT profes-
sional organizations when I become an OTR/L--
counting down to graduation in April 2020!”
Caren Schranz: OT of the Year
The OT of the Year Award recognizes the outstand-
ing contributions of an occupational therapist towards
the advancement of OT in the state of Illinois. Last
year, two occupational therapists were honored with
this award. The first recipient of the award, Caren
Schranz, has been practicing for 29 years. Her ca-
reer has spanned across many areas including home
health, special education cooperatives, owning and
operating an adult day care program, early interven-
tion, owning a pediatric therapy clinic, and academia.
In 1996, she began actively participating in academia
by volunteering her time as an Advisory Member for
the OT program at Governors State University, inter-
viewing student applicants, and participating in the
ongoing advocacy of OT higher education in the
South Suburban area of Illinois. Since then she has
continued her work at Governors State University.
She embraces her role in evidence-based practice
by actively collaborating and conducting research.
She has published several research articles in peer-
reviewed publications. Schranz has presentations
based on her research findings at GSU Research
Day, the ILOTA Annual Conference, and the AOTA
Conference. She is also an Item Writer for the Na-
tional Board for Certification in OT (NBCOT). Cur-
rently she is working with the Illinois EI group on poli-
cy and continuing education, working with CFC 15 on
educational training for all disciplines. She has devel-
oped community partnerships with community mem-
bers, including individual and non-profit groups to
find ways to support children with OT needs that
might not have access. In addition to all this she is
the Department Chair of OT at Governor’s State Uni-
versity. On receiving the award, Schranz reported, “I
am truly honored to receive the 2019 OT of the Year
Award! As an OT prac-
titioner for the past 29
years, I have been tru-
ly blessed to be part of
a profession that is the
right fit for me and a
profession that allows
me to help people. I go
through each day with
the intent to give my
best to educate the
next generation of
practitioners and make
a difference in the lives
of the children and
families that I serve. I
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