The Board of Registered Polysomnographic Technologists (BRPT) granted Surafel Taddese of Olathe, Kan, the second Andrea Patterson Memorial Scholarship. Taddese is a student enrolled in the Polysomnography Sleep Study Program at Johnson County Community College (JCCC) in Overland Park, Kan.
Taddese, who is originally from Ethiopia, left his country to escape political unrest and immigrated to Montreal, Canada. In Montreal, he worked as an assistant at Center Care, an assisted living facility where he monitored psychiatric patients. There he developed a love for taking care of people and making their lives better. Taddese is currently working as a security guard for Securitas in Overland Park while he completes his studies at the JCCC.
“My dream to work in the medical field, caring for patients, began in Montreal and has deepened through my polysomnography studies at the JCCC,” said Taddese. “I’m so grateful for this award which will help me and my family during a financially difficult time.”
Taddese is expected to graduate in May 2012 after which he plans to take the RPSGT examination. He holds an Associate’s Degree in accounting from Solusi University in Zimbabwe and an Associate’s Degree in management from Sheridan College in Toronto.
The Andrea Patterson Memorial Scholarship Program, named in honor of an early and highly regarded leader in the field of sleep technology, awards a $2,500 tuition grant each year to a promising student of polysomnography. Scholarship applicants must be enrolled in or accepted by a CAAHEP-accredited program in PSG or a CoARC-accredited program with a PSG add-on.
