Roxanne E. Barnes '91

SU major: International Studies
Career path: Author; Health Care
Gives to support: Roxanne has named SU as a beneficiary of her life insurance policy. Her gift will benefit students of color and support research opportunities for students.

Roxanne Barnes '91 wasn't sure that she could afford Southwestern, but she really liked the prospect of a small, intimate campus where she believed she wouldn't be lost in the crowd. She also appreciated the priority on academics, and the many extracurricular options. Roxanne, who had been praying for guidance on her college choice, says that "Tom Oliver '89 was the student ambassador at that time who picked me up from the airport, and when his car turned onto the circular drive near the former Laura Kuykendall dorm, I heard a voice inside say, "This is where I want you to go." She subsequently applied for, and received, Southwestern's Presidential Scholarship. She would have not been able to attend without the scholarship and feels grateful to this day.

Roxanne was active on campus as a member of Delta Delta Delta and Delta Omicron. She played trombone in the symphony, participated in Student Foundation as well as the Catholic Student Foundation of which she was a founding member. Additionally, she had work study experiences in the library, admissions office and chapel. Roxanne says that her favorite Southwestern memory was her confirmation, by the late Father Robert Scott at evening Mass in the Lois Perkins Chapel on April 30, 1989, an unusual event given Southwestern's Methodist roots, but an exception that Roxanne deeply appreciated. She says that Southwestern was the place where "my life took wings and helped me prepare well in advance for inscrutable life challenges."

Reflecting on what aspects of her Southwestern experience were most impactful, Roxanne declares, "Nearly 30 years later, two words come to mind: critical thinking…it was the consistent emphasis on questioning and assessing the information before me while valuing the integrity of the human being that has served me well." Roxanne has worked in education, sales, federal government, bookkeeping/financial services, and has self-published five books. After caring for her late mother who suffered with dementia of the Alzheimer's type, Roxanne began work in 2020 as a State Tested Nursing Assistant in a skilled nursing unit for Alzheimer's patients. She says "My decade-plus of caring for my mom shaped my heart for serving in this capacity so vitally needed in this ongoing pandemic." Having named Southwestern as a beneficiary of her life insurance policy, Roxanne says that she "firmly believes that giving for posterity, for fruit yet to be borne of which we cannot conceive, is a powerful gift and investment in the future." She encourages all alumni to "remember the good and blessings that have come to your life because of your time at SU and give as an expression of your gratitude."

Interested in learning more about how to include Southwestern University in your will, trust or retirement plan? Contact the Development Office at 512-863-1211 to learn about gift options and opportunities.

If you have already named Southwestern University as a beneficiary, please let us know of your plans. This will enable us not only to show our appreciation of your generosity, but also to include your support in planning for the future of Southwestern.