2023 Recipient

I'm a student at The University of Nevada -Reno, pursuing a biology degree along with minors in mathematics and Spanish. After graduation, I plan to attend medical school in pursuit of becoming a surgeon. Ryan and I have a mutual friend ~ Daniel Lang ~ and it was Daniel to whom I confided about my financial concerns ~ especially for my remaining years at UNR. While I had been awarded a few scholarships to help cover my first two semesters, they only accounted for a small portion of the expenses and none of them are recurring. My parents have been very supportive of my education, but they can only help so much as I have an older brother who is also in college. 

I also hope to spend a semester studying abroad in Costa Rica to become fluent in Spanish and broaden my world views. This invaluable experience will come with additional costs and while I believe it is worth taking out loans, I would rather avoid going into debt as an undergrad because I won’t have another option as a medical student.

When I expressed all these concerns to Daniel, he told me about Ryan’s education trust. Now that I’ve heard about and read about Ryan, I wish I could’ve met him. He sounds like a loving and lively soul. Thank you for creating something so good out of such a tragedy. My family has also been scarred by loss. When my older sister was murdered a few years ago we considered creating a scholarship in her honor but decided instead to support a charity where she had volunteered. I know it’s hard to think about others when you’re filled with grief.

I feel a connection to Ryan because we are both from Las Vegas, both love UNR, and we both love to learn and read. I know Ryan loved music and I also sing in the church choir, I ballroom dance, and I hike during my free time. 

Thank you, again for your generosity and consideration.