Health Sciences junior Jessica Davenport hasn’t allowed her disabilities to interfere with her education, nor her determination to help others. She has used a wheelchair since 2004, when she suffered a severe stroke at age 19.
Today, Davenport is an intern at Resources for Independent Living, a community-based agency in Pennsville, New Jersey, where she advocates for education and other opportunities for disabled individuals who have aged out of government services. She was recently inducted into Delta Alpha Pi, an international honor society that recognizes students with disabilities with high academic achievements.
Davenport is nonverbal. She speaks through her writing, including a memoir she published in 2018, “Detoured Destiny: One Woman’s Road to Recovery.”
“Jessica is an inspiration to her fellow students and her faculty. While an internship was not mandated as part of her Health Sciences degree, she chose to actively seek an internship that afforded her with an opportunity to provide both education and advocacy to other disabled individuals,” says Dr. Angela Herman, who chairs the HSC Program. “This exemplifies her dedication to her education, as well as her desire to create a positive impact on the health of others. Jessica personifies the tenets of this honor society – perseverance and the pursuit of excellence.”