Ada Larson Shaughnessy Endowed Scholarship
Ada Larson Shaughnessy attended MSU Billings from approximately 1956-1961 as a part-time student. She already had her RN degree but needed additional credits in order to have an RN/BS degree. She was married with two children and by the time she graduated her children were approximately 14 and 17 years old. The degree she obtained allowed her to work in far better nursing jobs for the remainder of her career and she was always grateful for the training she received at Eastern Montana College (now MSU Billings) when she attended. Ada passed away in May 2009 at the age of 96. In memory of Ada and in honor of her dedication to nursing, her children Joanne Fife and Tom Shaughnessy, established the Ada Larson Shaughnessy Scholarship Endowment in December 2009. The endowment provides financial assistance to nursing majors at MSU Billings who meet the following criteria. The first scholarship funded from the endowment was awarded in academic year 2011-2012.
Impact
“While I attend the City College, I also work full-time at Big Horn County Hospital in Hardin, MT as an LPN and am a single mother to two sweet little girls. It’s not always easy to juggle school, work, and kids, and I am truly grateful for the assistance that I am receiving from your thoughtful gift. When I graduate, I hope to be able to broaden my areas of work as an RN and to make an impact on peoples lives, as you are with this scholarship. Thank you again for the Ada Larson Shaughnessy Endowed Scholarship.” — Tonya G., Nursing major