Helping Create Opportunities
How Terri (Boranyak) Strong, ’76, and early nursing students have helped blaze trails for others to follow
Terri Strong, ’76, and her husband, Mark, made a planned gift supporting underrepresented students so they have opportunities to create lifelong memories, like Terri did, at Washburn University.
A lot has changed at Washburn University School of Nursing in 50 years. For starters, instead of classes in trailers, a tiny number of undergraduate students and lessons out of books, today’s nursing school has virtual labs, high-tech simulators, state-of-the-art classrooms and training spaces accommodating future health care providers that run the gamut from certificate, undergraduate and graduate students. But in five decades, the lapel pin designed by the inaugural class in 1974 remains the same, and Terri (Boranyak) Strong, ’76, is proud of that.
“We were kind of pioneers – the instructors and the students,” Terri said. “It was much different then. We had classes in trailers, and we had a very small class with about 22 students. We got to know each other pretty well through the years we were together. I look back today and I still see some of the legacy we left.”
Terri retired four years ago after a long career as a women’s health nurse practitioner, most recently working for 20 years at Lincoln Center Obstetrics and Gynecology in Topeka. She also taught clinical courses at Washburn a few times throughout her career, reminding her why her own experiences at the school were so special. A significant part of that was the sense of community in those early days. Though there were many fewer students, the bonds they formed lasted a lifetime.
“The smaller university and smaller classes – as well as instructors who really cared about you – that helped a lot,” Terri said. “I remember the time we were in one of the trailers and we had to practice giving shots to each other. It’s funny looking back on it, but we were all very scared. By the end we were all laughing – we all made it through together.”
Because Washburn gave Terri the foundation she needed for a successful nursing career, she and her husband, Mark, recently decided to make a planned gift to the university through the I Will for Washburn Greenwood/McPherson Legacy Challenge. This unique call to action inspires alumni and community members to make Washburn part of their will or estate plan – and it includes $10,000 donors can use right away to make a difference anywhere in the university.
The Strongs decided to direct their immediate impact gift to the Ichabod Opportunity Fund, which provides support to underrepresented students. Terri feels she was lucky to have financial and emotional support from her family while she was in school, though she recognizes not everyone is so fortunate.
“I had scholarships, as well as support from my family. A lot of students and young adults unfortunately just don’t have that support, either emotionally or financially or both,” Terri said. “My husband and I felt it was important to do what we could to help create opportunities for them.”
Having raised her own children and having helped them attend college and achieve careers, Terri also felt like the timing was right to take a closer look at her family’s finances to see how they could help other young people achieve their dreams – particularly those who might not otherwise have the chance for a college education.
“Now that our kids are on their own, we realized that giving back to Washburn was something we could do and we wanted to do,” Terri said. “I think it’s important for all students to have support if they want to continue their education.”
Looking back on her own experience, Terri is proud of her time at Washburn, and through the I Will for Washburn campaign and her future planned gift, she hopes other students will have the same opportunities for a lifetime of memories.
Like the Strongs, you, too, can say, “I Will for Washburn” with your estate gift and help give students a place to realize their dreams. Please contact Erin Aldridge at 785.670.4483 or PlannedGiving@wualumni.org to learn more.
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