HARRISBURG, Pa. – Rachel Benbow, a student in the massage therapy program at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, has been awarded a $2,500 American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA) Massage Therapy Summer Scholarship.
 
Four national scholarships are awarded each year by the AMTA to students enrolled in or admitted to 500-hour minimum entry-level massage therapy programs across the country. For each scholarship, AMTA receives between 4,000 and 5,000 applications.
 
Prior to enrolling in HACC’s program, Benbow had a Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) practice in Athens, Greece, where she practiced CranioSacral Therapy (CST) and was a Reiki Master. In Greece, she served regular clientele and did volunteer work with autistic children and women who were victims of human trafficking. After moving back to Pennsylvania, Benbow enrolled in the HACC Massage Therapy program to become a Licensed Massage Therapist (LMT), which is required in the state to practice CST.
 
Upon completing HACC’s massage therapy program, Benbow plans on taking the LMT exam. Following graduation and licensing, Benbow plans to start her own massage therapy business, specializing in holistic gentle care for children with autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and for survivors of abuse and trauma. She ultimately would like to become involved in complementary and alternative medicine research and education. 
The scholarship will be presented by a representative of the AMTA to Benbow at her completion ceremony on Oct. 8, 2014, at 3 p.m.
 
HACC’s massage therapy program is a 900-hour course of study and is located at the College’s Harrisburg and York campuses. The HACC Massage Therapy Program is a member of the AMTA and Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), and is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education approved provider. HACC’s program is designed to give students exposure to a broad variety of massage modalities, including Swedish massage, reflexology and neuromuscular and connective tissue work, and offers students the ability to gain real-world experience in the College’s professional massage studio.
 
Visit hacc.edu/noncredit for more information on HACC’s massage therapy program.
 
 
About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, offers nearly 200 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to more than 20,000 students at five campuses in Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York and through virtual learning. In addition, HACC serves more than 29,000 students in noncredit workforce development, public safety, adult basic education and continuing education programs offered at all campuses and off-site locations in many communities in Central Pennsylvania. For more information about what HACC has to offer, visit www.hacc.edu.
 
###