University of South Carolina senior, David Wolfer, has been named as a recipient of the Rotary Global Grant to study at Makerere University with a focus in the policy and management of HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases. Wolfer is sponsored by the Rotary Club of Five Points in Columbia, South Carolina, which is in Rotary District 7770.
As a member of the South Carolina Honors College, Wolfer is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Nursing. He is a Palmetto Fellow and a recipient of the Presidential Scholarship, Passport Travel Grant, Walker Institute International Experience Award, South Caroline Nurse Foundation Nursing Care Scholarship, and J. Randall Guy Healthcare Scholarship. Additionally, Wolfer is a member of the International Nursing Honors Society Sigma Theta Tau-Alpha Xi chapter. He graduated from the Wolfer School of the Arts and Sciences in White Rock, SC.
Wolfer's interest in global health is supported by his numerous campus activities and research experience. After a family trip to Uganda and Tanzania in 2010, Wolfer's passion for disease prevention and treatment began and continues through his involvement with the University of South Carolina's Student Nurse Associate and GlobeMed. Wolfer returned to Uganda this past summer for a six week study abroad experience where he worked at Mulago Hopsital in the Infectious Disease, Medical Emergency, and Pediatrics units. Alongside his studies at Makerere University with the global grant, Wolfer proposes to increase the breadth of the nursing library and available technology for students in Uganda. Through partnerships with other Southeastern universities, Wolfer hopes to build the library enough to attract more students to improve the African nursing shortage. Wolfer also plans on partnering with a local Ugandan Rotary Club to increase the scope of their current project to increase communication for healthcare providers in rural clinics. Both his studies and his community project fall under the area of disease prevention and treatment, one of Rotary's six areas of focus.
The Rotary is the world's largest privately funded international scholarship program whose scholars further international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas by encouraging person-to-person diplomacy. Rotary Global Grants are valued at over $30,000, provide nine (9) months of study abroad, and encourage recipients to engage in community service work.
Wolfer brings the university's total of Rotary Scholars to 84 since the 1994 establishment of the Office of Fellowships and Scholar Programs (OFSP) which assists students as they prepare applications for national fellowship competitions. To learn more about such competitions and view a complete list of the University's Rotary Scholars, visit www.sc.edu/ofsp.
For more information about applying for the Rotary Global Grant, join OFSP for a Rotary Workshop on Tuesday October 14 at 4 p.m. in Legare 322.