Gratitude In Action | The Dolores Bess Scholars: How one woman's lifelong devotion to nursing education lives on in the students who follow

Dolores Bess spent 25 years teaching at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's College of Nursing & Health Sciences, shaping the careers of countless nurses. As a lifelong learner with degrees from Vanderbilt University, Tulane University, and Louisiana State University, nursing was more than a profession for her. It was her calling. 

She and her husband, William, shared a deep commitment to higher education. In 2012, they established the Dolores C. Bess Endowed Scholarship in Nursing at UL Lafayette to support upper-level students navigating the most demanding stretch of their program; clinical coursework. And, when she passed away in 2024 at the age of 91, her estate increased the endowment significantly. 

"Mrs. Bess's dream was to leave behind a legacy that would make the biggest possible impact on students," said Dr. Lisa Broussard, Dean of the College of Nursing & Health Sciences. "Her scholarship had already benefited 116 recipients since 2012; so when we received her final gift, I knew that increasing the award amount to create even deeper impact would be exactly what she would have wanted."

The scholarship now provides substantial tuition support to a smaller group of students during their final four semesters, offering meaningful financial relief during a time when clinical rotations demand long hours and leave little room for part-time work. And beginning this fall, awardees will be officially designated as the Dolores Bess Scholars. 

The College of Nursing is excited to welcome the inaugural Dolores Bess Scholars, Maria Moya and Alyssa Theriot, who received the honor this fall. Fittingly, the two graduated from high school together and have found themselves on similar career paths to nursing. 

Maria Moya grew up in Lafayette, LA, as the oldest of six siblings. She says her parents are her greatest influence, working hard to provide for their children and stressing the importance of education. Her father moved to the United States from Venezuela, speaking very little English and building a life here with no support system. 

Moya realized she wanted to become a nurse when her grandmother became seriously ill. “There came a point when we had to make the difficult decision to move her to a nursing home,” Moya recalled. “She didn’t speak English, which made the transition even harder, because we felt like we were abandoning her in a place with a bunch of strangers. But watching the nurses figure out ways to communicate with and care for her with the utmost compassion was soul touching."

Being bilingual, Moya says she recognized she could be the person to offer reassurance and comfort to patients who might feel alone or scared due to a language barrier.

Alyssa Theriot grew up in Catahoula, LA. As the oldest of two, she says she was shaped by the people closest to her, explaining that her Cajun grandmother taught her how to cook and the value of staying connected to one’s roots. She credits her father, who is a professional crawfish fisherman, for instilling the value of hard work; and she admires her mother for sacrificing twenty years of her career to devote her time to the educational and extracurricular pursuits of Theriot and her sister.

Theriot says she realized nursing was her calling when her grandmother was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). "The hospice nurse cared for my grandmother through her hardest days with kindness and empathy. She took time to be present with her, talk to her and hold her hand,” Theriot recollected. “When my grandmother passed away, it felt like she was at peace. It was then that I learned how important the role of being a caregiver is in supporting someone as they transition to death.” 

For both women, being selected as the inaugural Dolores Bess Scholars is their greatest scholastic honor, and it arrived at exactly the right moment. "I'm super grateful because my parents sacrificed a lot to get me to this point. Being chosen out of so many applicants has given me the confidence to know I belong here,” said Theriot. 

Moya echoed that sentiment. “The scholarship has lessened the burden for me and my family, and is giving me the freedom to study hard, do well, and devote all my time to helping patients.”