“As a freshman, you’re scared going away from home. I’m family oriented and as soon as I got here, I felt that ‘home away from home’ feeling, and this has become my second home.” - Tori Burdette Junior, College of Health Professions What would you say to donors who make scholarships possible? Tori Burdette refers to them as “a wonderful gift from above whose gracious gifts help us succeed.” Tori, a junior in the College of Health Professions, decided she wanted to attend Marshall after touring the Huntington campus with her dad. “As a freshman, you’re scared going away from home. I’m family oriented and as soon as I got here, I felt that ‘home away from home’ feeling, and this has become my second home,” Tori said. Tori knew she would go to college. Her family provides for Tori and her brother, a high school senior, and has worked to provide for college expenses. Tori’s mom took a second job to help with college expenses, and then Tori received a “miracle in the mail” – a scholarship. “I was shaking when I read it,” Tori said. “I cried and told my mom that she wouldn’t have to work two jobs anymore. It was wonderful. Scholarships are a way to help someone become who they want to be and explore their dreams. That’s exactly what my scholarship is to me.” The future nurse says that one thing she has learned that she will take into her career is that a nurse must become a friend to the patient. “Patients are scared, and they come to you with concerns. They need help and you have to equip them with the knowledge you’ve learned. Sometimes it is as simple as telling them ‘you are not alone.’ ” Occasionally, we all need the reassurance that we are not alone; whether it be a nurse reassuring a patient or a donor reassuring a student through a scholarship. “Scholarships have turned my dream of nursing into reality and my passion,” Tori said. “Thank you, donors, for being so forthcoming, because times are hard. Students at Marshall are the future, and I hope we can make you proud of what we’ve accomplished, and I hope we can do it more for students to come.” Student Spotlight US POSTAGE PAID HUNTINGTON, WV PERMIT 206 RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED ONE JOHN MARSHALL DRIVE HUNTINGTON, WV 25755-6021