UNC Charlotte alumna Teresa Lane ’82 has established the Teresa Parham Lane Endowed Nursing Scholarship to assist undergraduate students who are pursuing a nursing degree.
Through a $25,000 gift, Lane hopes to reach “underdog students” who may find it difficult to maintain a high grade point average. As a student who struggled academically, Lane wants to give such students an opportunity to receive funding and “be the best they can be.”
Lane said, “I certainly struggled as a student because the program was rigorous and demanding. But I consider myself to be very successful, and therefore know that grades alone are not a determinant of success in life.”
After graduating from UNC Charlotte, Lane completed a master's degree in gerontology/mental health nursing from Emory University and a post-master’s certificate from the University of North Georgia as a family nurse practitioner.
Having developed a passion to assist those with mental illness, Lane now serves as a psychiatric clinical nurse specialist at a public mental health facility in the Atlanta area. The facility accepts insurance, public funds and sliding scale, making their services available to patients of all socioeconomic levels. Lane diagnoses patients of all ages and offers treatments through psychotherapy and/or medication. As a licensed family nurse practitioner, Lane can treat both the mental and physical needs of patients.
“UNC Charlotte gave me a start and launched my career. I knew I wanted to give back. I had dreamed of this for a while but just thought, how? Now, my dream has been realized,” said Lane.
The scholarship will allow juniors and seniors in the College of Health and Human Services School of Nursing to receive funding without having to meet the strict GPA requirements associated with many scholarships. Lane hopes scholarship recipients share her interest in the mental health field. But most of all, the gift is about opportunity.
“The biggest thing is that you don’t have to be an honor student or valedictorian in order to benefit through the scholarship. I was not a straight ‘A’ student, and I had to work so hard in nursing school, but still I’m successful,” said Lane. “Anyone can be successful if you put your mind to it and give it your best, and that is the point I really want to make with this scholarship.”