REUNI O N G I V I N G A C H A N C E TO RE F L E CT A N D A P P R E C I AT E A QUA L I T Y E D U CAT I O N
When Marian Allen enrolled in Carlow University’s School of Nursing as a 40-year-old mother of three young children back in 1992, she couldn’t have imagined where her degree would take her. In January 2011, she was on a medical mission in Haiti, where she served as a school nurse providing a cholera education program and administering more than 300 fluoride treatments to Haitian children. “At Carlow, where there is such a strong theme of humanity and outreach to people in need, I got a sense of the power of what I could do as a nurse,” says Allen. Allen decided to pursue a career in nursing after caring for her sick mother-in-law. “Carlow was the most welcoming to me as an adult student at the time,” she says. “I was the oldest one in all of my classes, but I never felt like the odd person out. I received lots of support, and the environment in which women are celebrated and encouraged fueled me to reach my potential.” One of Carlow’s first SPiRiT ambassadors, Allen graduated in 1996 and spent 15 years working in a family practice as a triage nurse, case manager, and visiting nurse. She was thrilled to be able to give back to Carlow upon her 15th reunion year.
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Carla Nastala and her family.
“Giving a significant gift this year gave me a chance to reflect on what it meant to be a nurse educated at Carlow,” says Allen. “It has meant a lot in my life, in ways I could predict and ways I couldn’t. I received a very rich education and this donation was an opportunity to look back and make a statement to the institution and myself.” Allen is now retired, but she will return to Haiti in January and February 2012 with the Pittsburgh-based organization, Functional Literacy Mission of Haiti (FLM), to again serve as a school nurse and health educator. Other volunteers with FLM will bring art, music, and other educational activities to the people of Haiti.
Marian Allen treating Haitian children.