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SALISBURY, MD---Three ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ nursing students have received Voiture Locale #122 Nurses Training Scholarships from a local veterans group that supports skilled nursing students.

The recipients are Stephanie Hof, a junior from Sykesville, MD; Sarah Prock, a junior from Gwynn Oak, MD; and Hannah Williams, a senior from Lancaster, PA. All are nursing majors at SU.

Each student received a $600 award that is renewable for a second year; Prock earned the scholarship last year as well. The students were recognized during a pinning ceremony on the steps of Holloway Hall. Members of Voiture Locale #122 also presented the SU Foundation, Inc. with a check for the scholarships.

“The continued support of local organizations, such as Voiture Locale #122, is vital in providing assistance to SU nursing students,” said Amanda Willey, instructor in SU’s School of Nursing. “Their generous donations allow students to worry a little less about finances and focus their time on their studies.”

Voiture Locale members say it’s easy for them to continue to donate.

“It’s a tradition that goes back to World War I,” said member John Iwanski.

The Forty and Eight veterans organization originated in France, where American soldiers were transported on the French rail system. Their boxcars were stenciled with “40 Hommes/8 Chevaux,” indicating that each could hold either 40 men or eight horses. Although an uncomfortable mode of transportation, the “40/8” became a symbol of the service of those who fought in the trenches.

“After World War I and World War II, our country was experiencing a shortage of nurses, so The Forty and Eight proposed a nurses training initiative to close that gap with scholarships,” Iwanski said. “We understand the importance of nurses in our military and community, and we’re more than happy to support SU nursing students.”

Scholarship recipients must be admitted into SU’s nursing program or working to obtain a bachelor’s in nursing, demonstrate financial need, have strong academic standing and participate in community service and activities.

For more information, call 410-543-6030 or visit the SU website.