EWU pre-nursing student wins year’s tuition through COVID-19 vaccine incentive program

Eastern Washington University announced the winner of a year’s worth of tuition through EagsVaxUp, the university’s COVID-19 vaccine incentive program.

Erin Conroy, a pre-nursing major, won the waiver worth nearly $6,900 to cover the cost of three full quarters, at $2,299 per quarter, during the 2021-22 academic year, the university announced Wednesday.

Conroy is a junior from West Seattle. Her name was drawn from among the pool of students that uploaded vaccination information to Med+Proctor to be eligible for the EagsVaxUp drawings.

EWU Interim President David May announced the EagsVaxUp program in May as a way to encourage students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated. The university officially introduced a vaccination requirement more than a week later, mandating proof of vaccination or exemption for medical or religious reasons.

As part of the program, EWU also raffled 10 scholarships, each worth $1,000, available through the Washington Student Achievement Council, according to the university. WSAC scholarships are funded by the federal CARES Act.

Drawings with prizes for students, faculty and staff will continue into December. Available prizes include parking passes, EWU athletics gear, theater tickets and an iPad Pro.