Alumni Scholarship helps Craig grad find success through higher education

Craig graduate Matt Fritzie is making his dreams come true through his hard work and dedication.

The Kansas City native recently graduated from the University of Arizona with a B.S. in biomedical engineering focusing on biomechanics with minors in mechanical engineering and mathematics.

Fritzie is headed to the University of Notre Dame for a master’s program in Engineering, Science & Technology Entrepreneurship. He is passionate about human movement, biomechanics and biomechatronics and hopes to advance technology in these expanding fields with application for individuals with mobility impairments.

Fritzie was injured in a diving accident in 2010 and rehabilitated from his spinal cord injury at Craig Hospital.

Following his rehabilitation, he returned to college and received $3000 in support from the Craig Hospital Alumni Scholarship Fund. This fund was created by Dr. Harry Hahn, the medical director at Craig Hospital from 1979-1985, to encourage Craig patients to pursue formal education.

The fund is supported by community donations and through the support of the Denver Alumnae Chapter of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. His story was recently shared at the Kappa Book and Author Dinner, an annual event hosted by the sorority to raise money for the Scholarship Fund.

“The Craig Hospital Alumni Scholarship helped motivate me to pursue my academic goals,” he says. “I hope to give back to the community at Craig Hospital through innovation that truly improves the quality of life for those affected by neurological impairments.”