2024 Scholarship Awardee - Olivia Buss

Olivia Bussis a 2023 Notre Dame Academy High School graduate from Staten Island, NY. She now attends Fairfield University and is enrolled in its Magis Scholars Nursing Program where she is training to become a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurse, her career dream. She has been surrounded by those in the medical field her entire life. She has pursued related opportunities throughout high school including lifeguard training, CPR and other emergency response certifications, and volunteering at Staten Island University Hospital. During the summer of 2024, Olivia completed an internship at New York University Medical Center in its Health Career Opportunity Program. She is the youngest of four children in her family and is inspired by the example of her father who, as a member of the New York City Fire Department, responded immediately and served daily for the next three weeks in the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack. The physical exposures he encountered eventually led to his permanent disability. Scholarship funding will assist in providing Olivia and her family some financial relief while pursuing her dream of becoming a registered nurse.