Seawolf Opportunity Scholarship Recipient Profile: Linda Roe

The Seawolf Opportunity Scholarship is the result of the generous anonymous $7M gift that UAA received in the spring of 2009. Conditions of the gift stated that the majority of the money was to be used for student scholarships, particularly benefiting women and minorities. The $6M designated for scholarships enabled UAA to establish an endowment to provide needs-based scholarships to students.

This new needs-based scholarship will be awarded incrementally, up to four years, for students working toward an associate's or baccalaureate degree from UAA. This special feature is designed to provide an incentive and reward to students who persist in their studies toward a degree. Recipients of the Seawolf Opportunity Scholarship will receive money for tuition and housing or childcare each year - all very important for student success.

This donation has already had a significant impact on the lives of UAA's students; 50 students have been awarded this special scholarship for the 2009-10 academic year. Here's the story of one of our outstanding scholarship recipients.

Nursing student Linda Roe is the kind of person that faces challenges head on, and she does it with a smile. She and her children have lived through an unthinkable tragedy and were faced with making difficult life changes as a result. Although Roe has been through some trying times, her genuine, kind and strong demeanor shines through. She lives for her family and is passionate about giving back to her community.

Roe and her children moved to Anchorage in August 2008 from Kenny Lake, AK, a small rural community near Copper Center, southeast of Glennallen. She and her husband have six children, five girls and one boy. During their time in Kenny Lake, the Roes owned and operated a meat processing business, which was destroyed in a fire on March 12, 2004. Mr. Phil Roe then worked as delivery truck driver first for water delivery, and then for Crowley fuel delivery.

But everything changed on June 6, 2006 when Linda's husband was killed after his fuel delivery truck flipped on the Richardson Highway.

After the accident, Linda's friends and family encouraged her to sit tight and not make any big decisions for about a year. But she knew she'd have to make a change to continue providing for her children.

Roe was inspired to pursue a career in nursing after witnessing nurses in action on an Alaska Air Guard rescue mission near her hometown.

With six kids, going to nursing school out of state wasn't an option, so Roe started taking classes at UAA in 2007 through the Prince William Sound Community College Copper Basin Campus in Glennallen. The following year Roe and her children moved to Anchorage.

With her prerequisites nearly complete, Roe is slated to start the baccalaureate nursing program next fall. "Being a nurse will be very fulfilling," Roe said. "It'll be a challenging career that will allow me to have financial independence."

After completing the nursing program, Roe hopes to become a traveling nurse. "Alaska will remain my base, but being a traveling nurse will allow me the opportunity to visit my children and parents who live Outside." Roe also explained that her career in nursing will make her life meaningful after her children are out on their own.

When she's not studying or spending time with her kids, Linda and her two-year-old therapy dog, Coldstone, can be found volunteering with adolescent mental health patients at Providence Alaska Medical Center. "There's a lot to learn from people in hopeless situations," Roe said. "It really makes you appreciate what you have." She also volunteers in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit.

"I can survive anything as long as I'm doing something purposeful," Roe said. "Giving back is really important to me and it brings joy to my life. It takes so little to give back."

Roe described the Seawolf Opportunity Scholarship as a "lifesaver." With two of her kids still at home, Roe said that the scholarship allows her to go to school without having to work and still be there for her kids. "I think my kids are just the coolest," said Roe. "They're my best friends."