On Jan. 7, APTA CT representatives attended an event with Representative Greg Haddad, Representative Kaitlyn Shake and Senator Derek Slap who plan to introduce a bill this upcoming legislative session that would fund a Connecticut Higher Education Supplemental Loan Authority (CHESLA) initiative to provide loans to offset the loss of the federal GradPlus loans.
Physical therapists were well represented at yesterday’s event among leaders of Connecticut Education Association (CEA), Connecticut Nurses Association (CNA), social workers, and graduate student unions.
APTA CT President and UConn DPT Program Director Maryclaire Capetta and APTA CT Vice President and Quinnipiac University faculty member, Rachel Pata, attended to show our support for the initiative that will help to maintain the future physical therapy workforce in Connecticut.
DPT Graduate Students Alfredo Guadalupe, Troy Zdanis, Emily Palumbo, Jenna Chiasson from UConn and Abigail Rosenthal Pitts from Quinnipiac University attended and were able to share with the legislators the critical importance of access to loans that have allowed them to pursue their dreams of becoming physical therapists in Connecticut.
