Facilitators of UMSN: Brad Sroka

At the University of Michigan School of Nursing we believe that success is a collective endeavor. We celebrate the unique talent and drive that propels our students and faculty to achieve as scholars as we recognize the skilled network of staff who support them along the way.

"Facilitators of UMSN" is a series that will spotlight some of the 118 staff members at UMSN who use their expertise to help members of the UMSN community work toward their goals as scholars, educators, and nurses. We hope you learn more about these talented and dedicated people through this series. 

UMSN Facilitator: Brad Sroka

Financial Aid Officer Intermediate
Hometown: Monroe, MI
Joined UMSN in June 2012

What are the main responsibilities of your job?

Most of my job is related to student scholarships. We have scholarships for all the programs - undergrad, master’s, DNP and Ph.D.  A lot of my responsibilities involve writing award letters to inform students when they are selected to receive a scholarship, monitoring fund balances, allocating funds and projecting how much funding we’ll need each year. Most people only think of merit-based scholarships, but we also have funding available for travel or research that students can take advantage of. Another big piece is customer service and communication. I spend a lot of time talking to students and parents who are inquiring about scholarships.

What is the response like from students when they learn they’re getting a scholarship?

It’s great! We often get messages from students and you can tell they are really appreciative. It’s nice to be a small part in making attending U-M possible.

What is your busiest time of year?

We are pretty steady all year, but are actually busiest in the summer months. During that time, we are notifying students of awards, and it can feel like a race against the clock to get the information to the students before tuition bills go out. We also get a lot of phone calls from students and parents during that time so it’s pretty busy.

Your background is business and financial aid, so what have you found to be the most interesting thing about nursing that you’ve learned?

I was surprised at how many different areas there are for nurses, especially the different concentration areas and the types of jobs they can hold.

Any personal nursing encounters you’d care to share?

I spent a week in the hospital when I was 16. I got kicked while making a tackle during a high school football game. My spleen ruptured and it had to be removed. I remember I had to miss the Michigan/Michigan State football game that year because it was the next day and I was in hospital. I’ve gone to almost every Michigan home game since I was little so I was disappointed. Years later I ran into one of the nurses and she remembered me and what happened. I was really surprised because it had been a long time and I know they must help so many people. I think it shows how special nurses are, that she would remembered me after so many years.