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| Sharon Bull, associate director of financial aid at the USA College of Medicine, talks with a medical student in her office. She is retiring at the end of February after 30 years of service. |
“Sharon has devoted her entire career to not only assisting our College of Medicine students with their financial aid but also in instructing them about true financial literacy. She daily provides our students guidance as they proceed from tasks such as paying bills, establishing accounts and mastering a budget to investigating loan consolidation and repayment,” said Kelly Roveda, M.D., associate dean of student affairs for USA’s College of Medicine. “Sharon's wisdom will be missed.”
A USA graduate, Bull earned a degree in communications and started working at the College of Medicine about seven years after graduation. The new position was created to give medical students better access to financial aid, an important issue for students that often influences their career paths.
During her career, Bull has assisted 30 classes and 2,015 graduates with financing their medical education, helping with debt management, teaching financial literacy and distributing scholarships.
“I’ve loved this job, and I appreciate the chance I was given 30 years ago,” Bull said. “It has been extremely rewarding. Having the opportunity to help the students is why I’ve stayed so long.”
The part of her job that has made her most proud, she said, is helping students: “I can’t go into a hospital or a doctor’s office in Mobile without seeing a former student, and they always seem to remember me and are very friendly.”
While Bull says she will miss her students and colleagues, she is eager to embark on the next chapter of her life and to spend more time with her family.
A retirement reception will be held in Bull’s honor on Thursday, Feb. 27 from 3 to 5 p.m. at the USA Faculty Club on campus.
