Reaching for the Stars

Hunt School of Nursing Student Follows Dreams of Becoming a Borderplex Nurse

with Help from Stars Scholarship Fund

Born and raised in an underserved community, Texas Tech Health El Paso Hunt School of Nursing student Danielle Purintun witnessed the challenges residents have accessing quality health care. She saw many health issues that could’ve been alleviated through simple interventions and accessible screenings.

As Purintun pursues her nursing career, she wants to help end these health disparities, and thanks to a Stars Scholarship, she can.

The Stars Scholarship Fund was established by the LaMantia family, owners of L&F Distributors. The non-profit organization raised $40,000, with the help of our Borderplex community, to help Texas Tech Health El Paso students like Purintun reach their dreams. The university has matched the gift for a total impact of $80,000.

“This scholarship has empowered me to focus on my dream of becoming a nurse and showing my children that anything is possible,” Purintun said. “I can continue my nursing school journey without the heavy burden of worrying about how to fund my next semester. Now, I’m confident I can complete my program because of the invaluable support I’ve received."

The Stars Scholarship Fund was founded in 2002 by LaMantia family patriarch Joe Lamantia, Jr., to ensure post-secondary opportunities are available to all who have the potential to succeed, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, background or lack of resources. Since that time, the Stars Scholarship Fund has been dedicated to increasing access to post-secondary education for students in Texas where they have L&F Distributors one of the largest Anheuser-Busch distributors in Texas.

The Texas Tech Health El Paso’s Stars Scholarship Fund was established in 2020 with a $16,000 gift. Texas Tech Health El Paso matched the first gift and continues matching every year to double the impact. Since then, $202,000 in scholarships has been awarded to 42 recipients.

Lisa Peisen, Stars Scholarship Fund board member and managing partner of L&F Distributors, spearheaded the efforts to grow the gift. Her goal of increasing the number of scholarships awarded and the number of students impacted was realized.

“Students like Danielle are one of the many reasons my grandfather established the Stars Scholarship fund more than 20 years ago,” Peisen said. “However, we couldn’t do this without the support of the many local businesses and business leaders who contribute to Stars. Our shared vision that financial hardships shouldn’t prevent our next generation of leaders from achieving their dreams allows us to continue to support students at Texas Tech Health El Paso for years to come.”

Purintun was raised by her maternal grandparents and dreamed of becoming a nurse after her grandmother was diagnosed with cancer. She hopes to provide the same comfort and compassion her grandmother received during her treatment.

“In my predominantly Hispanic community, navigating the complex health care system, language barriers and transportation challenges complicate access to care,” Purintun said. “It’s crucial for me to provide exceptional care in my clinicals—not just for my patients, but also for the family members they share their experiences with. Delivering unbiased, transparent and high-quality care is essential to rebuilding trust between health care providers and the most vulnerable members of our community.”

Purintun earned her first degree from the University of Texas at El Paso, graduating in 2021

with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts in organizational and corporate communication. She plans to

graduate from the Hunt School of Nursing in Spring 2025 and hopes for a position at University Medical Center of El Paso, home to the region’s only Level I trauma center.

Fortunately, Purintun found financial support from the Stars Scholarship Fund, which will help

her and other nursing students at Texas Tech Health El Paso achieve their dreams, said Jené

Hurlbut, Ph.D., R.N., CNE, Hunt School of Nursing interim dean.

“Our students are unique because they’re committed to patient care, but also deeply devoted to our community,” Dr. Hurlbut said. “In many cases like Danielle’s, scholarships ease financial stress and allow our students to successfully complete our rigorous 16-month program and hundreds of clinical hours.”

In addition to nursing, the scholarship fund supports students from Texas Tech Health El Paso’s medical and dental schools, and graduate school of biomedical sciences.

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YOU CAN HELP

At Texas Tech Health El Paso, we're committed to growing our own health care heroes and changing the state of health care in our Borderplex. For more information about how you can help, please contact andrea.tawney@ttuhsc.edu or craig.holden@ttuhsc.edu or visit ttuhscep.edu/elpaso/ia/giving/.

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