Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship.
Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship.

To honor the memory of the EMT from Louisville, the UofL Health Board of Directors is creating a nursing scholarship in the name of Breonna Taylor.

The Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship Fund in Nursing will be a four-year renewable award. In choosing the recipient, preference would be granted to Kentucky residents. It will cover full tuition and fees. The fund is created with 100% participation by the UofL Health board members. It was announced today by members of the University of Louisville Black Student Union.

Taylor, who would have turned 27 today, was an emergency room technician at UofL Health-Medical Center East. She was killed in March by police officers serving a “no-knock” warrant at her home.

“Breonna was a member of our UofL Health family,” said UofL Health CEO Tom Miller. “We grieve her loss, but we are hopeful her legacy can inspire meaningful change. This scholarship is part of an overall commitment to ensure diversity in our workforce and develop ongoing plans to eliminate racial inequality in health care.”

UofL Health is a nonprofit health provider affiliated with University of Louisville. It is governed by an 11-member board.

UofL President Neeli Bendapudi said having unanimous participation from the board members in establishing the fund shows that Taylor’s life, while cut tragically short, continues to make a community impact.

“While I didn’t know Breonna, I have learned that she was a wonderful person and a health care hero,” Dr. Bendapudi said. “Our hope is that this scholarship will provide the opportunity for another phenomenal young Black woman to follow in Breonna’s footsteps.”

“I am so appreciative that the University of Louisville, in partnership with the Black Student Union, will honor Breonna’s life through the creation of the Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship,” said Taylor’s mother, Tamika Palmer. “Breonna is smiling down knowing that there will be a path for students to pursue nursing degrees without accumulating student loan debt. Thank you to the university and its students for ensuring that Bre’s legacy will continue for generations to come.”

Anyone interested in supporting the Breonna Taylor Memorial Scholarship Fund can visit give.louisville.edu/breonna-taylor.

 

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John Karman, III
John Karman joined the Office of Communications and Marketing in 2014 after a 20-plus year career as a Louisville journalist. He has served as director of media relations since 2015. In that role, he answers reporters’ inquiries and is the university’s main spokesperson. John was a reporter for Business First of Louisville from 1999 to 2013. There, he won numerous awards from the Louisville chapter of the Society for Professional Journalists and American City Business Journals, parent company to Business First. John can die happy after seeing the Chicago Cubs win the 2016 World Series, although he would also enjoy another title.