On Sept. 9, the sixth annual Donor Recognition Event allowed College of Nursing administration and students to express sincere appreciation for the college’s most loyal supporters. Three alumni were recognized as recipients of awards during the program, including the Care, Lead and Inspire Awards. In addition to these awards, the Preceptor of the Year Award was given to a very worthy preceptor within UF Health.

During the program, two graduate nursing students who are passionate about improving the landscape of health care shared their unique stories with donors. Both were recipients of College of Nursing private scholarships. Kailey Coventry is a family nurse practitioner student in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program, having graduated from UF in 2019 with their BSN degree and worked as a nurse on a medical-surgical unit for a year before going back for their doctorate, with their ultimate goal of improving LGBTQ+ health care. Coventry was the recipient of the John and MaryLou Kohler LGBTQ+ Scholarship, which supports nursing students who demonstrate, through advocacy and action, a clear understanding of the health care needs and concerns of LGBTQ+ individuals, communities and populations. The second speaker, Roger Rivera, is also a current student in the DNP program. After serving in the Marine Corps for seven years, Rivera earned his BSN and MSN degrees from the Inter American University of Puerto Rico, followed by a certificate in psychiatric mental health from the University of Cincinnati. Now, as an MSN to DNP student at the UF College of Nursing, he is the recipient of The Frederick A. DeLuca Foundation’s Nursing Educator Scholarship and is concurrently earning a teaching certificate — and he will be the first to earn this brand-new certification from the college when he graduates in 2023.

On Sept. 10, the annual pregame tailgate was held at the Harrell Medical Education Building. The silent auction raised over $6,000, which will support the Alumni Council Book Awards Program. This year’s 15 Book Award scholarship recipients were recognized at the tailgate.

Three alumni and a preceptor were recognized during the college’s Donor Recognition Event. Congratulations to the following individuals:

The Preceptor of the Year Award was presented to Brittney Walker, BSN, RN, BMTCN, who serves as a preceptor on the UF Health Shands Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. Although relatively new to precepting, she has gained popularity among BSN students because of her compassionate approach, positivity and encouragement.

The Care Award was presented to Neil McFarlane (BSN 1994, MSN 1999). While in the BSN program at the College of Nursing, McFarlane became close with two of his classmates: Erik C. Cline and Price St. Hilaire. All three shared the common bond of serving in the military. In 2009, they established the MSC Patriot Award at the College of Nursing. This scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students with an affiliation to any branch of the United States of America’s military, personally or through a family member’s service. More than 60 nursing students have benefited from the scholarship since it was established, and the McFarlanes continue to generously support the scholarship every year.

The Lead Award was presented to the Florida Blue Foundation, which has supported the College of Nursing through the establishment of the Dorothy M. Smith Endowed Chair position and the Florida Blue Center for Health Care Quality, which has brought together interdisciplinary experts to design and evaluate improved approaches to health care access and delivery.

The Inspire Award was presented to Susan Kohler (BSN 1994). Kohler established the John and Mary Lou Kohler LGBTQ+ scholarship, as well as an education fund at the College of Nursing. In addition to this scholarship, she has volunteered her time to speak at the college’s Think Collectively About Diversity group about providing equitable care.

• Joan Burgos Melendez
• Jordan Stuebs
• Omaree May
• Megan Perkins
• Steven Williams
• Zoey Miller
• Alessia Rosa
• Arianna Camelo-Martinez
• Brison Stevens
• Camilla Bustamante
• Madeline Hall
• Peighton Stypinski
• Austin Kadau
• Julia Hudson
• Megan Blankenship