September 5, 2025
Lisa Lopez Snyder
When Halle Hamilton was a freshman, she recalls being overwhelmed by The Ohio State University Major Fair for undecided freshman.
“I remember walking around, checking out all the different tables with different majors and programs, and I felt discouraged,” she says. “Nothing felt like a good fit or would work well for me,” says Hamilton, who hails from the small town of Leesburg in Southwest Ohio.
One of the last tables she went to was the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (HRS).
“A woman there welcomed me and told me about all the different majors and career paths that you could take with an HRS degree. For the first time, I started to think it could be a good fit, that I found my match. So, I told my advisor I wanted to study health sciences and become an occupational therapist one day.”
Today, as a senior and a recipient of the HRS Scholarship, with her eyes on pursuing her doctorate in occupational therapy, Hamilton says, “I’ve never looked back.”
Being from a rural area — her high school graduating class was 70 students — motivated Hamilton to choose Ohio State with the dream of one day bringing her knowledge and talents back to rural communities in need.
“While I’m from a super small area, I always knew I wanted to go to a school like Ohio State, because with it being a big school, comes big opportunities,” she says.
Hamilton has seized those opportunities. One of her favorite courses at HRS, taught by Jill Clutter, PhD, HRS clinical associate professor, has been about how a scientific research study is set up and how it connects to the clinical setting.
“I was nervous going into it but then felt a lot more comfortable with research after,” she says.
Selected as a University Ambassador, Hamilton also enjoys giving tours of Ohio State to prospective students and their families. She describes it as a fulfilling way to share her love for Ohio State, while getting to meet people from all across the world.
Recently, she has also been shadowing Jocelyn McKinley, OTD, OTR/L, a 2019 graduate of the HRS Occupational Therapy Doctorate program, and founder and owner of WildChild Pediatric Occupational Therapy, a sensory-focused, play-based practice in Columbus, Ohio.
“I am incredibly honored and grateful to be a recipient of the HRS Alumni Scholarship,” says Hamilton, who says the scholarship has allowed her to focus on her program studies and experiences.
“My dream is to pursue my doctorate in occupational therapy right here at Ohio State, and this scholarship helps make that possible. I hope to make a difference in people’s lives, just like you’ve now made a difference in mine.”