Help for Students with Financial Challenges During Pandemic

Zach Collen doesn’t mince words about how hard he and his family have had to work in order to pay for his education.

January 11, 2021

While a pandemic demonstrated the value of nurses in our society, MSU nursing student and senior Zach Collen told us, “I have watched my mother work one full-time and three part-time jobs so that I could concentrate on my studies and not have to worry about finances.”

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many students into difficult financial situations taking away from their ability to focus on completing the school year. That was true for Zach, and that’s why a scholarship from the Nursing Student Emergency Fund couldn’t have come at a better time.

Zach wasn’t alone. Collectively, donors gave more than $763,500 to college-level emergency funds this past year—which went right to work, helping students overcome financial challenges.

As Zach prepares to make the leap into the workforce, gratitude is top of mind, and someday he hopes to pay it forward financially. Until then, he plans to pay it forward through his actions: treating his patients with respect and dignity, making them feel special and taking extra care with those who are most in need. And during a pandemic, that’s an extremely reassuring thing to hear.

Learn more about emergency student support funds: go.msu.edu/help-students