"Rounding out this amazing 2 weeks sprint with my colleagues, many of them innovation fellows in my cohort. The culmination of this experience here at the Service to the Citizen award banquet was quite surreal.

I’ve learned and grown exponentially both personally and professionally over this past year. While my vision for recreational and creative arts therapy lives on through the continued work and professional advocacy in my career, I’m grateful for the connections, mentorship and training I’ve had access to over this past year. As I step into a new season of my career, I will carry this work with me as I stay open to unfolding opportunities.

The return on investment of this fellowship is a lifelong commitment as a federal servant to the greater good of our citizens. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to pause, celebrate our achievements and recommit to the next iteration of VHA care and designing for the future.

I’m immensely proud of the work these amazing humans usher forth each and every day and I hope to fulfill the oath we all take when we first began our careers."

Taylor Hooker, Incoming Chief of Learning Engineering, San Francisco VA Medical Center; Entrepreneur in Residence Fellow, VHA Innovation Ecosystem, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs