Donor Spotlight, 2025

Supporting the Next Generation of Nurses

For Sharon (Leyland) Ahrari, MSN ’93, RN, the dream of becoming a nurse began as a child in her grandparents’ home in San Antonio.

“I borrowed my grandmother’s long white half-slip, a white blouse from Catholic school and a large white dinner napkin folded into a triangle on which, I drew a cross with a red crayon, pinned the napkin into my hair with bobby pins, and thus began my nursing career.”

Though the dream started early, it wasn’t until the age of 30 that Ahrari formally pursued nursing. She began a career in Washington, D.C., working as a CS-3 clerk-stenographer with Immigration & Naturalization Service and later for the D.C. Department of Corrections, where she served for 11 years. She left her GS-9 position to pursue a nursing degree at The Catholic University of America, which led to her commission as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force Nurse Corps. She went on to serve for 24 years, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

“Not only am I very proud of my 24-year Air Force nursing career, but my mantra has always been ‘to make life a little easier for someone else,’ and being able to help future nurses in this way also gives me great pride and a way to live up to my life-long mantra,” she said.

Ahrari’s decades of service in military and clinical settings gave her a deep appreciation for the impact nurses have across every stage of care—and the support it takes to train them. Inspired by the educational opportunities that shaped her own journey, she felt called to give back in a meaningful way. That desire to make a lasting difference led her to invest in the next generation of nurses at the School of Nursing.

She received financial support for both her undergraduate and graduate nursing education through federal and military programs, which allowed her to pursue her degrees without acquiring significant debt. 

“I believe that these two opportunities to attend school without incurring an overwhelming financial burden heavily influence the reason that I would like to provide a similar opportunity for others.”

Her generosity has taken the form of the Sharon Leyland Ahrari Endowed Scholarship at the School of Nursing, established through UT’s Texas Challenge matching program. The University’s Texas Challenge program will match the initial endowment dollar for dollar. 

“Through this gift-matching program, I will be able to double my ability to help high-potential nursing students from middle- and low-income families,” she added.

Ahrari’s giving aligns closely with the School of Nursing’s mission, particularly in areas like student recruitment and retention, securing financial support and strengthening connections with the community and alumni.

One contingency, Ahrari said, is for nursing students to be able to put the funds toward their clinicals or to support them in the simulation and skills labs, if they are required to pay for these out of pocket.

“Having had a 24-year nursing career, and the fact that my late husband Ehsan and I never had children, I have decided that financing the education of family and others would be my legacy,” she said. “After setting up educational Invest 529 accounts for ten of my nieces and nephews, I want to leave most of the rest of my assets to the School of Nursing to provide educational opportunities for those who may not be able to afford nursing education otherwise.”

Ahrari’s journey in nursing reflects a lifelong commitment to service, compassion and education. Through her endowed scholarship efforts and a belief in the core values of nursing, she ensures that the legacy of compassionate, well-prepared patient care endures.