Last year, the UNC School of Nursing presented 51 students with the Conway Scholarship. The scholarship, founded by Joanne and William E. Conway Jr., is awarded to high-achieving students in medical education that have financial constraints. Now, these students are reflecting on the impact of the donation.
“I felt like nursing was the best way for me to help others,” senior nursing student and Conway Scholar Helen Gaitan said.
In 2023, the Conways donated $5 million through their Bedford Falls Foundation to support nursing students at UNC.
Senior nursing student and Conway Scholar Kyndall Estep said the scholarship took weight off of her shoulders as it allowed her to pursue extracurriculars without worrying about affording her education.
“Without nurse educators, we can't train more nurses,” Estep said. “So having that gift from Mr. Conway and his wife allows me to graduate with less debt, significantly less debt, which allows me to consider the possibility of going back to graduate school to get my master's in nursing education and hopefully be a nursing educator one day.”
Gaitan is a first generation college student who said she always wanted to get a nursing degree from UNC.
“It's like a reminder that you have people cheering for you in a way, pushing you towards your end goal,” Gaitan said.
The scholarship also serves to combat North Carolina's nursing faculty shortage.
“I think I just kind of have to go into the mindset of, I am going into a field that needs help, that maybe it might not be the easiest job at the moment, but [that] doesn't mean it's not worth fighting for,” Gaitan said.
