Lois Schwarze Memorial Scholarship

$4,170
16%
Raised toward our $25,000 Goal
23 Donors
27
days left
Project ends on March 31, at 10:26 AM EDT
Project Owners
Make A Gift

Help Create the Lois Schwarze Memorial Scholarship

Honoring Lois' Legacy: Help Create the Lois Schwarze Memorial Scholarship Fund! 


Join us in celebrating the life and legacy of Lois Schwarze (10/16/64–1/31/25), a cherished member of the Byrdine F. Lewis College of Nursing & Health Professions at Georgia State University. Lois was a dedicated wife, mother, grandmother, nurse, and professor. 

Lois' experience battling cancer is what inspired her to become a nurse. Grateful for the compassion she received, she asked her nurses how she could ever repay them. Their answer was simple: become a nurse. And so she did!

This scholarship is being created by a community of people - including friends, family, coworkers, students, patients, alumni and many others - who were so greatly impacted by Lois Schwarze that they can see no other alternative but to give back as she did, striving to emulate her generosity and unwavering commitment to the betterment of the lives around her. 

The heart of this scholarship will be to honor Lois' memory by carrying on her legacy of service, compassion, and empowering students to reach their full potential.

Your generous contributions will help nurses who are entering or already working within the mental health field - a place where Lois invested much of her time, energy and care - and the goal is to aid them in achieving their aspirations of furthering their nursing career by becoming Nurse Practitioners who specialize in the Psychiatric-Mental Health field as Lois did. 

In addition, this scholarship is specifically focus on supporting students who are members of the queer community and/or those who intend to serve LGBTQ+ populations in their future practice. We want to do as Lois did and help students who desire to carry forward her spirit and contribute to the healing of others. In doing so, we honor Lois’ passion for helping people grow and her dedication to uplifting those around her.



HOW YOU CAN HELP

Donate: Your financial contributions, no matter the amount, will make a difference in the lives of deserving students. Donate Today!

Share: Spread the word about the Lois Schwarze Memorial Scholarship with your friends, family, and colleagues. Together, we can reach our fundraising goals and honor Lois' legacy. You can click one of the social media tiles on the pictures above to share quickly on Facebook, X, or Instagram!

The Georgia State University Foundation will direct your gift to the School of Nursing Student Excellence Fund until the Lois Schwarze Memorial Scholarship can be created. If the endowment minimum is not reached, funds will support the School of Nursing Student Excellence Fund.

Let's come together to honor Lois' memory and create a lasting impact through the Lois Schwarze Memorial Scholarship. Thank you for your generosity and support!

Thoughts from family, friends, students, and patients:

"Lois had a quiet way of making people feel seen. During my first year program orientation, the lobby was crowded with new students, and I was feeling anxious and overwhelmed. Lois approached me, asked a few simple questions, and in that brief interaction, my anxiety eased. From her, I learned the importance of noticing people, especially those who are overwhelmed, and helping them feel seen and grounded. During my second year in the program, my husband passed away. In the midst of my grief, I emailed Lois to tell her I was considering leaving the program. She did not question my decision or try to persuade me. Instead, she simply replied, “I am here for you. Here is my cell, call me anytime.” Her encouragement and unconditional presence gave me the strength to continue and ultimately finish the program." - Dr. Lufei Young, PhD, AGACNP, PMHNP 

"Professor Schwarze was incredibly passionate about mental health, both in working with graduate and undergrad students at GSU and in her private practice. One of her effective strategies as a professor was telling engaging stories - she had seen just about everything in her career. Professor Schwarze believed the best in her students and did everything she could to help us succeed. She started her day early and warned us from the first day of the semester that we might receive emails from her at 4am - and we sure did. Professor Schwarze was one of the hardest working individuals I have ever known." - Valerie Vinton, MSN, PMHNP-BC


"This is such a terrible loss. I can still remember when the triplets arrived and getting updates as they grew. Lois will be missed by everyone who knew her." - Dr. Susan Breslin


"I am deeply saddened and in shock to hear about the passing of Lois. I never expected this news, and it is truly heartbreaking. Lois was one of the most wonderful colleagues I had the privilege of working with. She was incredibly kind, flexible, and always treated everyone with respect, regardless of their background. I had special appreciation for her, and I will always cherish the moments we shared especially as my MARTA buddy." - Dr. Cheru Atraga, DNP, FNP-C, APRN, MS, MEd  


"My birthday twin will be missed but I am grateful for the years of friendship, laughter and mischievous times we had. Lois was a brilliant clinician, a strong instructor, a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. As I write this, I am also thinking about her clinical practice of adolescents and her impact on their lives." - Professor Laura DeMars, EdS, MS


"Lois was determined to protect clients who suffered from mental illness... Students knew Lois was no nonsense but also had the unique ability to empathize and understand their struggles and pain... I loved the stories she shared in the undergraduate psych class about her “invincible” days (describing adolescent development) of riding out a hurricane on her surfboard growing up in Florida.  Her father was not amused.  She shared with students her heart for the homeless and adolescents who were suffering with mental illness... She worked in hospice, on the streets with gangs as well as psychiatric sites... She promised her family that she was NOT going back to school again because she had more letters behind her name than alphabet soup – MSN, APRN, FNP-BC, PCNP, PMHNP.... I was blessed to have known Lois and will not forget her." - Dr. Traci Sims, DNS, RN, CNS/PMH-BC 


"What a great loss to the GSU family.  She will be missed indeed and may Her Soul Rest In Peace." - Dr. Marcella Davies, Phd-PH, MBA-HC, MSN, RN


"Lois Schwarze was my professor, my preceptor, and my mentor, and then quickly became my colleague and friend. Lois was there for me during a very difficult time in my life, a time when it felt like I had little hope for the future. I was close to giving up - giving up on grad school, giving up on my dream of becoming a psychiatric nurse practitioner, giving up on being a nurse all together, and giving up on me. She saw me struggling and offered me a hand and help out of what was the darkest point in my life. I cannot express the depths of my gratitude for the kindness she showed me, her part in my healing, and the role she played in me deciding to try again, to return to working towards my dream of helping the patients I’m most passionate about caring for - the patients who, like me, have almost given up but chose not to."  Lois was a shinning light in my life, a true friend, and a beacon of hope for me and so many others. Forever grateful for a true friend." - Kyla Kerr, MSN, PMHNP-BC


One of Lois' favorite quotes: "You treat a disease, you win, you lose. You treat a person, I guarantee you, you'll win, no matter the outcome." - Patch Adams 



Lois graduating with her undergraduate degree in nursing 

Lois' grandson, Paul, practicing placing an IV for EMT training.