Violet (Hall) Larry ’87 gives back to her profession and future nurses
Over a 35-year career in nursing, Violet (Hall) Larry ’87 found the general lack of diversity in the profession to be problematic. There was one other Black student in her nursing classes, a pattern of scarcity she continued to find across decades in public health. Now retired, she is determined to help the next generation improve their cultural awareness by sharing her expertise with Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing students.
Last fall, Violet took part in an interactive lecture at the Linfield University Portland Campus titled, “Culturally Responsive Family Health.” It wasn’t her first time back at Linfield, and she hopes it won’t be the last.
“The reason I want to give back is to allow nursing students of color the chance to see a successful Black nurse,” she said. “I’m hoping my presence will help motivate them to keep pushing through no matter what obstacles they might face.”
Lunch-and-learn events are a way for Violet to share her decades of experience with those about to enter the field.
These events highlight two of her interests – community health racial representation health care – which she developed as a Linfield student.
“I would go from clinical placement to placement looking for other African American nurses. I wanted to learn from them and their experiences, but I found that I never saw these nurses,” she said. “When I would work with Black patients, I would see the connection and appreciation in their faces when they found out I was helping them.”
Violet’s career took her to the Veterans Health Administration and Oregon Health & Science University before landing at the Multnomah County Health Department. It was there she combined her passions, eventually serving as the manager of the county’s Healthy Birth Initiative. This comprehensive program addresses the needs of pregnant Black and African American women by providing access to health services, prenatal care and postnatal support to improve birth outcomes and reduce infant mortality rates that disproportionately affect these populations.
For her work and advocacy in child health care, Violet has twice been honored by the March of Dimes at its annual “Heroes in Action” nurse of the year event.
While she never specifically sought out leadership roles during her career, she was a natural leader thanks, in part, to the confidence she gained during nursing school.
“At Linfield, I had excelled in leadership courses and rotations. It came very naturally to me,” she said. “Leadership roles never felt like work. I really felt prepared to take on leadership positions in my career.”
Now, by sharing her talents and experience with Linfield’s nursing students, she is helping inspire the next generation of nursing leaders.
“I feel proud to support the School of Nursing because I know firsthand that Linfield puts out quality professionals. Linfield faculty invest in making sure students understand what you are learning as a nurse,” she said. “It is a school that continues to evolve and make improvements. That is important in health care.”
