Elizabeth Thibault ’26 and Adrian Garza ’26 attended nursing programs on different Fairfield campuses, yet both exemplify the shared values of the Marion Peckham Egan School of Nursing and Health Studies. The two alumni were recently recognized for their leadership and service.
Adrian Garza – Student Leadership Award
Down in Texas, Garza is active in multiple initiatives. The Austin Campus alumnus volunteers with the Community Action Corporation of South Texas, where he facilitates a poverty simulation that addresses misconceptions about financial hardship, and with a local educational outreach program that encourages students at Title I elementary and middle schools to pursue education through mentorship and tutoring.
Garza’s community outreach began after the death of his grandmother, a dedicated public-school secretary of thirty years. To honor her lifelong advocacy of the value of education, he and his family established a scholarship fund and host an annual clay shooting tournament and benefit. Garza helps manage event finances, scholarship disbursement, and sign-ups. Last year, the event drew 150 participants and raised nearly $25,000, which funded 20 scholarships across four school districts.
For his leadership and service to his community, Garza was recognized with the Student Leadership Award by the Mu Chi Chapter of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.
“My nursing education has helped me better understand how poverty, education, access to care, and health outcomes are connected,” Garza said. “I am compelled to serve others because strong support and opportunity can change a young person’s future. I want to give back in any way that ensures that those in my hometown and other poor communities have equal opportunities in life.”
Elizabeth Thibault – Mission Impact Staff Award
Meanwhile, in northeastern Connecticut, Thibault has been involved with Camp Woodstock for 13 years. She began attending the YMCA summer camp when she was eight years old and later transitioned to staff. In 2025, between her junior and senior years at Fairfield, Thibault took on the role of Wellness Director, overseeing all aspects of camper health as well as the health lodge, staff training, and medical compliance. She even took the initiative to earn her lifeguard instructor certification to fill an unexpected staffing vacancy mid-season.
For her commitment to camper health and safety at Camp Woodstock and for embodying the YMCA’s core values of caring, honesty, respect, and responsibility, Thibault was recognized by the YMCA of Greater Hartford with its inaugural Mission Impact Staff Award.
“My nursing classes always reflected the Jesuit mission of caring for the whole person—mind, body, and soul,” Thibault said. “Especially when working with children, I learned it's important to consider not only physical safety and health but also emotional and social well-being. Fairfield taught me these are all equally important, and I used that framework every day as Wellness Director.”
Translating Fairfield’s core values into practice, Garza and Thibault are having a meaningful impact on the well-being of their communities. As new nurses, they are delivering competent and compassionate care to patients; as leaders, they are strengthening community wellness and fostering environments where everyone may reach their potential.
