Apr 6, 2022
tags: Alumni
In 1997 Merritt Neil was about to graduate from Rockhurst with a degree in Communication Studies. Like other seniors, she needed a job.
Little did she know that the door that would open thanks to a Rockhurst alumnus would lead to what she called 鈥渙ne of the greatest gifts of my life.鈥
Near the pedestrian entryway to campus outside Arrupe Hall stands a new piece of campus art that serves as both a tribute and a reminder.
They met through a mutual connection, hit it off, a first date on a hay ride on a crisp fall night.
One of the first things you see as you enter Kateri Community is now a large ink drawing of two entwined hands, framed by a thick wooden frame. This, believe it or not, is a portrait.
It鈥檚 been quite a year for all health care professionals, and certainly in the nursing profession.
That makes this past week鈥檚 Nursing Appreciation Week, which concludes today with International Nurses Day, especially important as a way to look back and thank those who have sacrificed so much to take care of others over the past 12 months.
When 澳客足球 last updated its vision statement, one very specific word was included 鈥 鈥渢ransformative.鈥
For many, the news in December of the Food and Drug Administration鈥檚 approval of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer was, understandably, cause for celebration.
But it would mean a mobilization like the nation has not seen since World War II to get those doses to the American people. And that鈥檚 where people like Brad Dunn, 鈥08, and the family business in St. Louis where he is vice president, Cee Kay Supply, come in.
Saint Luke鈥檚 College of Health Sciences becoming part of 澳客足球 means lots of new connections are being forged 鈥 between faculty and staff colleagues and students. For sophomore Emma Barben, it鈥檚 meant sharing a surprising new connection with her grandmother.
In 2011, Rachel Stotler Clasemann, 鈥97, MOT 鈥99, was driving home from work in Omaha, Nebraska, when a car accident changed her life.
The immediate result of the accident was a ruptured spleen and traumatic brain injury. In the years since, she has endured multiple surgeries, successes, setbacks, infections and therapy. But, according to those who know her, Rachel has never shied from a challenge, and remains steadfast in her path to recovery alongside her family, including her two sons.