First Ever Boccuzzi Award Goes to Sacred Heart University Senior Marissa G. Noel

Related Media

Portrait of Marissa Noel '11, Sacred Heart University nursing student and recipient of the Carole E. Boccuzzi Memorial Award in Nursing. Photo by Tracy Deer-Mirek 04/15/10

FAIRFIELD, CT (04/28/2010)(readMedia)-- Marissa G. Noel, a Sacred Heart University senior in the Nursing program, is the first recipient of a newly established award honoring Carole E. Boccuzzi.

Although nursing was not her chosen profession, Mrs. Boccuzzi was dedicated to supporting nursing students and improving their education.

The Carole E. Boccuzzi Memorial Award in Nursing was created this year by the Boccuzzi family to remember the Fairfield woman who died in May 2009. The award commemorates Mrs. Boccuzzi's life and recognizes her life-long commitment to the education of nurses and her work to advance the discipline of the nursing profession.

"I didn't want Carole to be forgotten. She was an ebullient personality and she had an interest in the profession," said Edward Boccuzzi, Carole's husband of more than 40 years. He said there are several nurses and other medical professionals in the family. "Making a gesture to help a nursing student is a way to perpetuate her memory," he said.

Ms. Noel, 20, of Windham, Maine, said she is honored to be the Boccuzzi Award's first recipient.

"To be recognized for this award makes me realize I can make a bigger difference than I thought previously," said Ms. Noel, who will pursue a career in pediatrics. She said she will also use her nursing degree to volunteer with international medical missions, prompted by her spring break trip this year to Guatemala with a group of Sacred Heart University students and professors to open a clinic, provide patient assessment and nursing care, and bring medical supplies to a poor village.

Eligibility for the award includes a minimum grade point average of 3.6, two letters of recommendation from SHU's Nursing faculty and submission of a personal essay on an appropriate student selected topic. The recipient must also show respect and sensitivity to the patients' needs, respect and empathy to families of patients, and demonstrate an overall persistence in advocating for patients.

Ms. Noel will receive her award from Edward Boccuzzi, Carole Boccuzzi's husband, at the Nursing Department's capping and pinning ceremony on May 15. There will be a perpetuating plaque placed in the Nursing Department honoring Ms. Noel and all subsequent award winners.

For more information about The Carole E. Boccuzzi Memorial Award in Nursing or to make a donation to support The Carole E. Boccuzzi Memorial Fund, contact Sacred Heart University's Office of Institutional Advancement at 203-371-7860.

About Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University, the second-largest Catholic university in New England, offers more than 40 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral programs on its main campus in Fairfield, Connecticut, and satellites in Connecticut, Luxembourg and Ireland. Approximately 6,000 students attend the University's four colleges: Arts & Sciences; Education & Health Professions; University College; and the AACSB-accredited John F. (Jack) Welch College of Business. The Princeton Review includes SHU in its "Best 368 Colleges: 2009," U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Colleges 2008" ranks SHU among the best master's universities in the North, and Intel rates it #11 among the nation's most "unwired" campuses. SHU fields 31 division I athletic teams, and has an award-winning program of community service. www.sacredheart.edu

For additional Sacred Heart University news, please visit http://www.sacredheart.edu/pressroom.cfm.