Our Crowdfunding Groups
Financial aid for nurses
The Dr. Paulina R. Van Perinatal Nursing Scholarship was created in 2020 to provide vital financial assistance to SMU nursing students. In fact, Van was so inspired after receiving thank you letters from two recipients and hearing from a third about their financial needs that she donated even more to the scholarship fund.
“I don’t know what else to say, but it’s almost like I’m infused with life when I help someone else,” she says. “If I can make a difference in just one person’s life, it has given purpose to my whole life. I’m always looking at my resources to figure out what more can I give. How can I up the ante?”
Scholarship help
Brittney Braker, BSN ’21, has known since high school that nursing was her calling and began taking nursing classes after graduating early. She knows it would not have been possible without the support she received at the University, including the Dr. Paulina R. Van Perinatal Nursing Scholarship she received during her last semester.
“I could not have made it through nursing school without scholarships,” Brittney says. “This one specifically made a huge impact. The financial impact was so appreciated, but beyond that, the scholarship criteria matched me perfectly—the scholarship supports women of color interested in maternal and infant nursing. On top of that, Dr. Van is a woman of color and supports other women of color. When I see women like that, it’s inspiring to me.”
Every dollar counts toward nursing scholarships on Paulina's birthday.
Match Paulina's first donation to SMU scholarship funds of $200 back in 2009.
Give Paulina the gift of fully reaching her birthday goal for her nursing scholarship fund.
