News
New nursing scholarship honors family dedication to education
March 01, 2021
Photo: Dr. Susan Strouse with her parents, Jesus and Odilla, during graduation from her associate degree in nursing in 1982.
By Shannon Dale
Education is something that no one can ever take away from you.
This was the mantra of Jesus M. Perez, who grew up along the Rio Grande in Texas and had to leave elementary school to help his family on the farm. His wife, Odilla, grew up in Belgium during WWII, facing German occupation while finishing high school. Neither were able to go on to earn a college degree, but both instilled a passion for education in their children.
Now, their legacy will live on to inspire generations of Grand Valley State University nursing students to pursue their education.
The Jesus M. and Odilla M. Perez Memorial RN to BSN Endowed Scholarship, established by their daughter and son-in-law, Dr. Susan and Rev. Mr. Robert Strouse, celebrates their passion for learning and provides vital funding to a student population significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Susan Strouse, Associate Professor of nursing at GVSU, was a first-generation student. She fell in love with nursing through a high school vocational nursing assistant course. It was the consistent encouragement and support from her parents that inspired her to continue her education. Strouse first earned her Associate Degree in Nursing at Lansing Community College. Through employer-funding, Strouse earned her BSN degree while raising her young family, and ultimately her Ph.D. The guidance of faculty mentors was paramount to helping her navigate higher education.
Strouse has served as the clinical coordinator for the GVSU RN to BSN program since 2014. She brings a deep personal understanding of the challenges facing these students. Many RN to BSN program students are working full-time, have families, and are first-generation students.
“This is a special population of students and they deserve special funding to help them complete their degree,” explains Strauss.
Due to COVID-19, medical facilities needing to cut costs frequently removed scholarship support for their employees. Many RN to BSN students at GVSU struggled to afford to finish their education with the loss of employer funding. Strouse saw the challenge facing her students and was deeply concerned.
Amidst the tremendous loss of her father due to COVID in 2020, and her mother’s passing in 2018, she realized a path to help her students. When Strouse discovered the amount that she would receive from her parents’ estate, she immediately knew that she wanted to honor their legacy and support her RN to BSN students, now during this especially difficult time, and long into the future.
“I had always dreamed of establishing a scholarship, but I never thought it would be possible for me,” shares Strouse. “But here I am doing it! Thanks to my parents’ estate and the generous GVSU Faculty and Staff Endowment Match, the scholarship will be fully endowed.”
The GVSU Faculty and Staff Endowment Match program doubles giving to endowed funds each calendar year.
For Strouse, the scholarship is a way for her own education and career to come full circle. Through the mentorship she received as a first-generation student and the love she received from her parents, she has dedicated her life to inspiring a passion for education in her students and now she can further support them through the Jesus M. and Odilla M. Perez Memorial RN to BSN Endowed Scholarship.
Just as Jesus and Odilla used to tell their children: regardless of the challenges facing Strouse’s nursing students, the one thing they will always carry with them is their education from GVSU.
Make a gift in support of the Jesus M. and Odilla M. Perez Memorial RN to BSN Endowed Scholarship online at https://www.gvsu.edu/s/1B8.