Foundation Support in Action: Meet Maija Fredrick

The Capitol Lakes Foundation is proud to support students who are passionate about serving older adults and strengthening the future of healthcare. One such student is Maija Fredrick, a recent Occupational Therapy (OT) graduate whose past internship at Capitol Lakes was made more accessible through a generous stipend from the Capitol Lakes Foundation.

Maija grew up in DeForest, Wisconsin and has deep roots in the local community. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Edgewood College in 2021, then spent a year working full-time at Meriter Child & Adolescent Inpatient Psychiatry as a Mental Health Specialist. Wanting to expand her impact in healthcare, Maija moved to La Crosse to pursue a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy, a two and a half year program that she completed in December 2025 at the University of Wisconsin–La Crosse.

Maija’s interest in Occupational Therapy began with a personal family story. Her mother relayed to Maija that when her grandmother suffered a stroke, an OT helped her relearn daily activities using adaptive techniques.  For example, the OT taught her how to hold and feed her first grandchild with one functional arm. Learning about the meaningful difference the OT made in her grandmother’s life inspired Maija to follow the same path. After graduation, she hopes to practice in the Madison area, with particular clinical interests in Sensory Integration practices and Parkinson’s Disease.

For her final clinical internship, Maija chose Capitol Lakes to challenge herself and gain experience working with older adults in a skilled nursing setting. Although much of her prior experience was with pediatric populations, she wanted to step outside her comfort zone and become a more well-rounded clinician.

“Capitol Lakes was the perfect place to achieve this,” Maija shared, “because of its wonderful facility and experienced therapy team.”

During her 12-week, full-time internship, Maija evaluated, treated, and discharged therapy patients across the Capitol Lakes campus, working with residents in independent living, assisted living, and the Health Center. Alongside her clinical responsibilities, she completed graduate coursework and delivered an in-service presentation on her research.

Like many healthcare students, Maija faced a common challenge: OT internships are full-time but typically unpaid, even though students continue paying tuition. The Capitol Lakes Foundation stipend helped ease that burden by covering a portion of her student loans.

“This stipend was a very unexpected and generous gift,” Maija said. “It will greatly help by covering a portion of the tuition I paid during my time at Capitol Lakes.” 

When asked what she enjoyed most about her time at Capitol Lakes, Maija didn’t hesitate: it was the people.

“Between the residents, the therapy team, and staff across campus, I met some amazing people and made memories I will always cherish."

The Capitol Lakes Foundation is honored to support students like Maija, whose dedication, compassion, and commitment to learning help ensure high-quality care for generations to come. We thank Maija for sharing her story and for the care she provided to our community, and we wish her all the best as she begins her career in Occupational Therapy.