Lainy McCoy isn’t a person who passes up opportunities. From the earliest days of nursing school to her current role as an emergency room nurse, Lainy, a 2022 graduate of IU School of Nursing, has a way of turning opportunities into experiences to learn and give back.

With the option to fulfill a curriculum requirement by either volunteering or completing an online course, Lainy chose to volunteer at the IU Student Outreach Clinic. That choice during her first semester of nursing school led to three years of volunteering at the student-run health center, which provides free primary care and other services to underserved populations in Indianapolis.

“I fell in love with it,” says Lainy, who eventually became a manager at the weekly clinic. “Just seeing how impactful we could be as students in helping underserved communities, it really inspired me to continue going there and helping.”

The experience of working in the clinic alongside fellow IU students in medicine, law, social work and other fields helped build skills she uses today in the Emergency Department at IU Health West Hospital in Avon, Indiana.

“We’re taught in nursing school how to collaborate with individuals in different disciplines and being able to do that as a student volunteer in the outreach clinic, it felt much less intimidating,” Lainy says. “I entered into my career being able to freely speak to any of my professional colleagues because I’ve done it for years. I think that’s a very big advantage of the outreach clinic.”

While at IUPUI, Lainy also volunteered for IU Health GOAL (Get Onboard Active Living) University. GOAL University is a free afterschool program for kids that’s designed to encourage healthy lifestyles.

For her work at the outreach clinic and with GOAL, Lainy, an IUPUI Chancellor’s Scholar, was one of the 2023 recipients of the William M. Plater Civic Engagement Medallion. The recognition is given to IUPUI graduates who excel in their “commitment to the community through activities such as service learning, volunteerism, community/social issue advocacy, community work-study and political engagement.”

“I’ve always loved helping people, and volunteering and giving back to the community are really important to me,” says Lainy, who in addition to her nursing position, is also a licensed EMT in Parke County, Indiana. “The volunteer experiences I’ve had while at IU School of Nursing and IUPUI have inspired me to continue looking for things I can do to help and improve health equity.”

A recipient of the Veldman Family Nursing Scholarship at IU School of Nursing, Lainy says the scholarship’s financial support enabled her to spend more time volunteering and concentrating on her academic performance during the last semester of nursing school.

“I was so thankful [for the scholarship], and I got the opportunity to meet the Veldman family this year. They’re wonderful people, so kind and generous, and I’m honored to have been named a recipient.”