The UNLV Foundation has established the Michelle Wright Memorial Scholarship Fund to honor a graduate whose life story inspired many in the community.

Wright, who was legally blind as a result of juvenile diabetes, received her bachelor's degree in social work in 1997; at the same time, her mother, Debra Conry, received her degree.

Several months prior to graduation, Wright's kidneys began failing. She postponed her transplant surgery so she could walk across the commencement stage with her mother.

"Michelle refused to let diabetes control her life or deter her from accomplishing her goals," said Conry, who donated a kidney to her daughter.

Both mother and daughter were active in campus and community organizations. As volunteers at the Jean Nidetch Women's Center, they helped other students with special needs and those returning to campus after an extended break in their studies.

As a student, Wright co-founded Second Sight, a support group for visually impaired students. She was a volunteer for the Center for the Blind and was a successful lobbyist on women's issues. She was active in the University Association of Social Workers and was a 1997 Regents Scholar.

After graduation, Wright worked at Southwest Passage, counseling physically and emotionally abused children.

She was awaiting a second transplant surgery when she died Dec. 3 after an accidental fall. She was 30 years old.

"Michelle was certainly a role model to other students facing adversities," said Conee Spano, director of the Nidetch Women's Center. "She touched the lives of many people on campus and in the community. We are grateful for the outpouring of requests from people who want to do something in her memory."

For more information on the scholarship fund, contact the Jean Nidetch Women's Center at 895-4475.