Neumann University has presented West Chester resident Lauren Christine Shipman with its Volunteer of the Year Award.

Shipman, wheelchair-bound because of cerebral palsy, graduated from Neumann in 2015. She is currently the group supervisor for the supplemental kindergarten program at the Haverford Branch of the Greater Philadelphia YMCA.

Since graduating, she has often returned to Neumann as a motivational speaker for students and as a standardized patient/patient actor for the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program (a role she also has at Villanova University). Even during the pandemic, Shipman visited campus either to speak in person or broadcast over an online platform.

“Neumann provided me with the opportunity to be outgoing while discovering my true self,” she said. “I continue to develop this newfound confidence in the professional world, and I have Neumann to thank for it.”

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