Lorri and Steven Oreolt Nursing Scholarship established at Central Michigan University
The new scholarship was established by alumna Lorri Oreolt, who spent 25 years as an open heart surgery nurse.
Central Michigan University has a new scholarship available for students who want to pursue a bachelor degree in nursing. The scholarship is specifically for individuals who have little financial means but a passion for nursing, and who wish to practice in a rural setting upon their graduation. The scholarship was established by Lorri Oreolt, who graduated from Central Michigan University in 1974, and her husband Steven, whose career as a business consultant also gave him an inside look into nursing and the healthcare industry.
According to an article on Central Michigan University’s website, Jennifer Cotter, who serves as the university’s vice president for Advancement, was quoted as saying of the couple’s desire to fund nursing scholarships, “Lorri and Steven’s unique experiences with the health care system, along with Lorri’s passion for CMU, are a perfect fit with our new nursing program. Students who may not have been able to attend college to be nurses will now have that opportunity thanks to the Oreolts. I can’t wait to see the difference these students make in our communities.”
The Lorri and Steven Oreolt Nursing Scholarship was established with $435,000, which is coming to the university through a donation from the couple and a legacy gift.
When Lorri, a first-generation college student, graduated from Central Michigan University in 1974, she earned a bachelor degree in education and spent several years as a teacher. Later, she discovered her passion was elsewhere and she returned to school in Illinois to earn a nursing degree. Lorri is Native American, and this, along with her being a first-generation college student, inspired her to want to create a nursing scholarship for students from underserved populations and those who wish to practice nursing in rural areas.
Lorri said, “I would like to see people who do not have the means — but have the ambition and medical capacity — to get their degrees and then work in rural areas where communities need them. Nursing isn’t just a profession, I really do believe it is a calling.”
Steven’s career led him to consulting for a hospital system in Florida, giving him a different perspective on nursing, though his conclusion is the same.
Steven said of his and his wife’s separate but similar desires to fund this scholarship, “Lorri is looking at the scholarship from an education and needs perspective, while I’m looking at it from a process perspective. The four-year degree provides the foundation for nurses to think critically, to think through what their options are. As Lorri and my work backgrounds are different and come together, so do our thoughts on the scholarship.”
For more information about Central Michigan University, visit the school’s website.