2012 Professional Achievement Award

2012 Professional Achievement Award

On Saturday, there was a Professional Achievement Award ceremony for alumni. We were well-represented with two of our students receiving awards. Please take a moment to go and read about the SHS recipient, Amanda Charney. Her story is compelling and her charity is doing important work. Also read about Dr. Sharon Sergeant who received her MPT and DPT degree from Stockton. Dr. Sergeant was the School of Graduate and Continuing Studies award recipient. We were shining on Sat!

Amanda Charney

Class of 2001 • School of Health Sciences

Thanks to a Stockton Professor, Charney began working in a specialized school for children with autism the Monday after she graduated from Stockton while going on to earn her Masters Degree in Communication Disorders from West Chester University. Over the past 10 years, Charney has enjoyed working in the public schools specializing in the preschool aged population of children with speech and language disorders who have neurological disorders. She has been awarded the honor of Teacher of The Year from her peers and administration and is currently a supervisor of related services for the Collingswood School District.
In 2009, Charney founded the non-profit organization, Small Steps in Speech (SSIS). SSIS’s mission is to provide financial assistance to children and/or charitable organizations with communication disorders. This organization was started after she lost her fiancé SSG Marc Small, a Special Forces Medic for the United States Army, in February of 2009. He came up with the name Small Steps in Speech for a future private practice after the couple were married. “Small” representing their last name and also representing the “small” steps it takes for a child with a disability to overcome their obstacles. When hearing of Marc’s passing, Charney started the organization in his name. Since that time, SSIS has provided grants to over 80 children across the country and dispersed more than $100,000 a year. In addition to providing grants to individuals, SSIS’s mission is also to assist other non-profit organizations who require financial assistance to best provide communication needs for children within their organizations.

The summer of 2012, Charney volunteered in child orphanages for children with disabilities throughout the country of India, including Pune and Mumbai/Bombay. In India, there is an extreme shortage of trained speech therapists to assist children. She found the experience of training nurses, case managers and staff to assist these children with their communication throughout the slum communities and within government-owned hospitals to be life changing. Charney would like to thank the committee for nominating her for this award, as well as her parents, family and the board members of Small Steps in Speech for their encouragement, love, and endless support.

Sharon Sergeant

Class of 2002, 2009 • School of Grad and Continuing Studies

Physical Therapist, Bacharach Institute for Rehabilitation

Sharon Sergeant has been a physical therapist at Bacharach Institute for Rehabilitation since 2002. In both the inpatient and outpatient settings, she has experience and enjoys working with a diverse patient population including traumatic brain injury, stroke, spinal cord and other neurological disorders; orthopedic; amputee; vestibular; cardiac and pulmonary diagnoses. Her experience in education associated with Bacharach Institute For Rehabilitation includes clinical instructor for DPT students from a variety of educational institutions during their clinical affiliations at Bacharach, open lab instructor for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd year Stockton DPT students, Certified Red Cross CPR instructor and Bioness L300 certified.

Ms. Sergeant has worked for the past 2 years as an adjunct professor in the Kinesiology and Musculoskeletal curriculum in the Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, providing an active clinical perspective in lab classes. She received her DPT degree from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in December of 2009 receiving the Dean’s Award and the DPT Faculty Award for Clinical Excellence. She received her MPT degree from Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in June 2002 and her BA degree in Biology from the University of California San Diego in June 1980. She is a member of the APTA.

Sharon is married with 3 sons and enjoys spending time with her family doing anything outdoors and traveling.