Seventy-one local students will be able to pursue their dream thanks to a generous Arkansan.

Someone anonymously donated $100,000 to the School of Nursing at UAMS to be used for scholarships.

Many students can't work their junior and senior year of the program because of the intense curriculum.

Many students are forced to drop out of school because of a lack of funding.

The students couldn't be more thankful for the extra help.

Tuition, $2,500. Books, about $300. Other expenses can range from 100-200 dollars.

"But receiving a letter in the mail telling you you got a scholarship, now that's priceless," says Alicia Jackson, a UAMS nursing student.
   
It's the best news Jackson could have received.

Now in her senior year of nursing school at UAMS, she is one step closer to adding two letters to her name, R.N.

"That relieved a lot of stress knowing that I know where my funds are going to be coming from in the spring and I can focus more on my work."

Alicia would like to thank someone, but there's no one to thank.

"It was very helpful and I don't think I would be able to continue in this program without this scholarship," she says.

Jackson is one of the lucky recipients. So is junior Joel Uy, who went back to school after recently losing his accounting job.

"Being married and having a family to support, I thought I needed to do a mid-life career change," says Uy.

Uy turned to nursing, a skill in high demand.

But without the scholarship, he too was looking at having to go back to work, and putting his career goal on hold.

"It will actually change my life and my family's life for the better," he says.

"It could have gone anywhere and the fact that it came to support our students is just so exciting for us," says Claudia Barone, Dean of Nursing at UAMS.

"They can focus on their studies. They don't have to worry about where the next amount of money is going to come from."

Some students who have benefited from the anonymous donation may have found a way to say thank you after all.

"Receiving donations from an anonymous donor will encourage people who receive to donate when they get out of school and I am considering donating to students in need when I complete this program."