Profiles

Colleen Barber Hursh '04, Palamountain Scholar Award Recipient 

Colleen Barber Hursh '04 is the inaugural winner of the Anne T. Palmountain Scholar Award, created to recognize Palamountain Scholars who have distinguished themselves through leadership, service to others and a commitment to the larger good of society.

As a vocational rehabilitation specialist for VA Boston Healthcare System, Hursh works  in the Translational Research Center for Traumatic Brain Injury and Stress Disorders. She assists veterans who have returned from the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq—particularly those with a traumatic brain injury or post-traumatic stress disorder—as they transition to the civilian worlds of education and work. Hursh has held her current job since 2010, when she graduated from UMass Boston with a master's degree and certification in rehabilitation counseling. She has worked at the Boston VA Hospital since graduating from Skidmore in 2004.

“Transitioning from being in the military—and sometimes from multiple deployments in war zones—back to civilian life presents many difficult challenges,” said Hursh. “Being able to help our returning veterans with regard to their civilian careers or education is incredibly rewarding. I feel blessed to work with this population.”

A native of Fort Ann New York, Hursh majored in psychology at Skidmore. She counts among her most influential professors the husband-and-wife psychologists Hugh and Mary Ann Foley. “They provided great academic challenges and learning experiences that have impacted me professionally, and they have continued to remain as positive influences in my life,” she said.

While at Skidmore, Hursh was a standout field hockey player. She was inducted into Skidmore’s Athletics Hall of Fame as an individual player in 2010 and again two years later as a member of the 2001 field hockey team.

An active Skidmore alumna, she is a member of the Alumni Association Board, serving on the Alumni Awards Committee, including appointment as the committee’s chair for 2015–17. She has also participated in the Boston Transitions & Transformation career events and is a member of the Boston Alumni Regional Club's planning committee.

Among her leisurely pursuits is baking, and she has a baking blog to share recipes. She also enjoys running, volunteering, traveling and home-brewing craft beer with her husband, Mike. The couple are expecting their first child in November.

I am very grateful to have received the Palamountain Scholarship. Not only did it provide generous financial assistance to my family and me, but it also provided me with a unique and special connection to Skidmore, for which I am incredibly appreciative. 

Colleen Barber Hursh '04