In October of 2025, faculty at the Orvis School of Nursing at the University of Nevada, Reno contacted Every Mind Matters with an urgent request for assistance: a nursing student was in serious trouble, and could we please help?

Marissa Martinez is a bright, hard-working, compassionate and highly motivated student. She was also behind on her tuition and her rent, subject to eviction, and subject to dismissal solely due to lack of funds for tuition. She had nothing to eat at home, and her car was running on fumes. Marissa and her husband, who earns a very inadequate income are deep in years-old debt and unable to climb out.

Marissa is a first-generation university student who spent her childhood in poverty, homelessness, and foster care, watched her mother struggle through chronic illness and drug addiction, and tragically lost both parents very recently. She even suffered a miscarriage herself that required hospitalization. She is out of contact with all other family. But Marissa also graduated with honors with a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Texas at El Paso, and was a productive contributor there toward diabetes prevention research and community health initiatives. She also volunteered as a Court-Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children. Children in those situations need someone they can trust to fight for them, and Marissa did so passionately.

Marissa’s hospitalization, and the outstanding nursing care she received, inspired her to apply to nursing school. Marissa has won the respect and admiration of the faculty and maintained a 3.5 GPA at Orvis despite her world literally falling apart around her. She is an incredible role model.

We were not prepared to accept a new Fellow, but Marissa’s case was compelling. We held an emergency Board meeting and decided we could not allow Marissa and her husband to live on the streets. The Board voted unanimously to award Marissa a Fellowship. Every Mind Matters filled her refrigerator and pantry, filled her car’s gas tank and made an emergency partial tuition payment to UNR. We will be moving Marissa into housing with a steeply reduced rent and will pay Marissa’s current landlord to break her lease agreement. We are going to stretch and support Marissa through graduation from Orvis with a B.S.N. and licensure.