Perseverance and Paying it Forward

In the late 1980s, and as a non-traditional student, naysayers were eager to deter Dr. Laura Trice from pursuing medical school. But when Laura first spoke to Dr. Larry Giesmann, NKU's pre-med advisor at the time, she heard something different. Laura recalls, "Working full-time and as a mother of three children, he did not turn me away. In fact, he said, 'Show us what you can do!'" This encouragement gave Laura the assurance she needed.

Fast-forward to the current day, Laura is the Palliative Care Medical Director for St. Elizabeth Healthcare and has been married to Larry for over 23 years. The pair still profoundly admire the community at NKU and emphasize the importance of faculty members' influence on their students. "At first, I didn't realize the kind of impact a faculty member could have on the life of a student … it's amazing how you can help people choose what they want to do for the rest of their life," says Larry.

Combining their value of education with the realization that they could positively impact the lives of students interested in pre-med studies or biological sciences, in 2016, the couple established the newly titled Larry Giesmann Biology Scholarship. This scholarship supports students who have declared biological sciences as their major.

This dynamic duo is passionate about more than just the sciences. An additional area on campus that they support is NKU athletics. In 2015, they established the Larry Giesmann and Laura Trice Endowed Scholarship. This gift provides an undergraduate scholarship for a student-athlete competing on the intercollegiate men's cross country team at NKU.

This particular investment is near and dear to the hearts of Larry and Laura for a few key reasons. To begin, Larry developed a love for cross country running in his youth and became quite successful. In addition to Larry's experience, all of their children also ran cross country, forming a family bond over the sport. Regarding NKU's program, Laura shares, "NKU has an amazing team, and we attend their meets when we can. Cross country isn't a high-visibility sport like men's basketball, and we believe our scholarship helps shine a light."

Larry and Laura donate to their scholarships through their IRA Charitable Rollover . By streamlining their giving, this generous couple saves time, all the while making an impact where it matters most. "I donate my required minimum distribution from my TIAA account because it's a simple and direct way to pay it forward to the students at NKU. We are able to establish scholarships for bright students and reduce our income taxes at the same time," Larry says.