EMPOWER Scholarships

The EMPOWER (Encourage Minority Participation in Occupations with Emphasis on Rehabilitation) Scholarship, administered by the Courage Kenny Rehabilitation Institute encourages and supports ethnically diverse students who are pursuing a career in a medical or rehabilitation field.

The scholarship is made possible by a generous gift from the David M. Hersey Endowment Fund of the Allina Health Foundation.

Applicants must identify how they will use their education and training and demonstrate their interest in rehabilitation. Selection is based on the applicant’s stated intentions, past achievements, need and graduation ranking.  


2022 EMPOWER scholarship winners

The 2022 recipients are Denzel Godwin, Fatuma Arab and Ife Adeboye. Congratulations and best wishes to all on their educational goals.

Denzel Godwin

My name is Denzel Godwin, a rising senior majoring in Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota. I will be pursuing a Doctorate of Physical Therapy post-graduation. I want to say thank you to Courage Kenny for this amazing award! It has been a blessing to be a part of such a welcoming and engaging clinical experience that I will never take for granted. Looking forward to the future with CKRI!

Fatuma Arab

My name is Fatuma Arab and I am in my second year at the University of Minnesota. I am originally from Nairobi, Kenya, and have been living in the United States for five years. My passion is to help people through medicine, so I chose the health field as a career path. I would like to thank CKRI for the EMPOWER Scholarship as without financial and academic support, I wouldn't have been able to have the resources to achieve my goals.

Ife Adeboye

My name is Ife Adeboye and I am sincerely honored to have been selected as the recipient of the EMPOWER scholarship. Thank you for your generosity, which has allowed me to pursue my degree in the medical field and help eliminate disparities within the healthcare system. As I complete my education at University of Texas at Austin, I am very thankful for receiving your thoughtful gift. Because of your scholarship, it will reduce the financial burden on family and help me pursue my dreams.