UNION, NJ — Kayleen Panlilio of Union was honored with the Student Activity Award from Boston University’s College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences: Sargent College during a senior awards ceremony on Friday, May 20. This award recognizes students who make strong contributions to college and university extracurricular activities.
An alumna of Union County Magnet High School, Panlilio graduated from BU with a bachelor’s degree in behavior and health and a minor in psychology.
While at BU, Panlilio was a research intern in BU’s Aphasia Research Lab, which aims to understand language processing and communication following brain damage such as from a stroke. She also served as a Sargent College peer mentor, welcoming new students to the school; was the treasurer and vice president of the BU Student Occupational Therapy Association; and was a member of the US–Iraq Global Health Summer Program. She was also chairperson of District One, a coalition of collegiate Filipino organizations.
“Kayleen has been an excellent and motivated intern,” said Maria Varkanitsa, Panlilio’s supervisor in the Aphasia Research Lab. “She consistently demonstrated strong initiative and eagerness to expand her skills in working with people with cognitive and language disabilities. She shows compassion towards all, especially those living with disabilities, and consistently engages in self-reflection to improve her communication skills with the aphasia participants she assists in providing care to.”
Panlilio will return to Boston University in the fall to continue her studies in the doctor of occupational therapy program and resume her work in BU’s Aphasia Research Laboratory.
“Each leadership experience I have had in college is one where I carry the mission of Sargent College with me: one of empathy, cultural humility, advocacy and so much more,” says Panlilio. “Through the Student Occupational Therapy Association, I learned about unconventional and conventional OT practice settings and hoped to be a resource for those interested in OT by bringing nine exceptional occupational therapists in our speaker series. Through District One, I fostered a community during the height of the pandemic by converting our annual culture show into an online format. Through Jumpstart and my work at the Aphasia Lab, I have helped children and older adults find the right words to express themselves in their activities of daily living, whether that be socio-emotionally or pragmatic. And lastly, as a Sargent peer mentor, I have been able to guide incoming students through the college experience and organize workshops to better support them.”
Photo Courtesy of Melissa Ostrow