In this video, legacy gift donor Beth O’Connell, MS '74, BSN '73, recounts her time at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, and how warmly she was received and encouraged to apply. After being accepted, she received scholarships and loans from others, which helped her to get through school. After graduation, her long nursing career took her from being a bedside nurse to roles as vice president in corporate health, and as her church’s health care program director.

Today, O'Connell shares her pride in nursing and continues to give to the nursing profession as a docent at the School of Nursing's Living History Museum, answering students’ questions and encouraging them to pursue a career in nursing. She also shares her pride of attending one of the top 10 nursing schools where she obtained a strong basic education. She especially enjoys seeing the accomplishments of other nursing school graduates, and sharing her love of nursing with other nursing school students. Giving back is important and fulfilling to O'Connell, so she is funding her scholarship through a beneficiary designation to the School of Nursing in her 403B retirement plan. She encourages other nursing graduates to give, no matter the size of the gift, as a way to give back to the schools that continue to impact their lives.