“There are many students who simply wouldn’t be able to go to nursing school without the generosity of donors.” Sotos Djiovanis, ’15 SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT
Most Scholarships Awarded in College’s History, Aids Education of Nearly 100 Students
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he College of Nursing awarded more than $247,000 in scholarship aid to 95 undergraduate and graduate nursing students for the 2014-15 academic year. This is the largest amount of funding awarded and the most individual scholarships awarded in the college’s history. The College of Nursing now ranks among the top three colleges at UCF for awarding funds to assist students with their tuition and educational expenses. “Scholarship support is critical to our students and our program,” says Dr. Mary Lou Sole, dean. “Due to the rigorous curriculum, it is difficult for many students to work. Scholarships not only recognize these hard-working individuals, but also allow us to attract the best and brightest students to our programs. Additionally, students with a prior bachelor’s degree are ineligible for many types of federal aid, so the need
for private support is especially great for these types of students.” The scholarship recipients had an average GPA of 3.8, and each is involved in community service and professional organizations. Among those recognized was Sotos Djiovanis, a student in the second-degree program who decided to pursue his BSN in his 30s after a highly successful career as a professional musician. “There are many students who simply wouldn’t be able to go to nursing school without the generosity of donors,” says Sotos, who graduated with his BSN in May. “Supporting nursing education is absolutely having an impact right here in our backyards. Your UCF Knight nursing student today is often your Orlando area RN, nurse practitioner, nurse educator, or nurse manager tomorrow.” Katie Korkosz, director of development for the college says, “Student scholarships would not be possible
without the generous support of our donors whose philanthropic support positively impacts the lives of future nurse leaders, such as Sotos. We are incredibly grateful for their ongoing commitment to our program and students.” The scholarships were presented at the annual scholarship luncheon. More than 140 guests were in attendance, including alumni, friends of the college, health care community members and many scholarship donors who traveled from near and far to meet their gift recipient. Two new scholarships were established in the past year and the donors were presented with a special gift at the luncheon. The Judy R. Morter Memorial Lifelong Clinical Nursing Scholarship was established by her family in memory of the pediatric nurse practitioner and long-time adjunct faculty member at the college. The Jacqueline Byers Memorial Endowed Scholarship was endowed by Dr. Rob Byers in memory of Dr. Jacqueline Byers, a long-time nursing professor in the college, and respected author, researcher and health care leader in the Orlando community. nursing.ucf.edu | FALL 2015 | 29