Susan Nesrallah
By Doug Flanders
In 2011, Susan Nesrallah received a wonderful surprise. Julie Nesrallah, her daughter and a graduate of Carleton in music, was performing Carmen on Tap as a fundraiser for the university. At its conclusion, Julie announced to the audience that the event raised $8,000, an amount that would be fully matched by government grant. Then, Julie made another announcement. The money raised would be used to establish an endowed fund in her mother’s honour — the Susan Nesrallah Bursary for Classical Music. The applause was deafening.
“I was stunned, speechless, and teary-eyed,” says Susan. The bursary — to be awarded to a first-year student in classical voice — was the first of its kind and Susan could not have been more happy or pleased. She now makes an annual gift to her Bursary Fund and will continue to do so for as long as she can. It has been tremendously satisfying for Susan to meet her bursary recipients every year. She finds their enthusiasm and passion for Carleton gratifying. So much so that when she revised her will recently, Susan chose to remember the university with her own gift for the Nesrallah Bursary Fund. From first-hand experience, she knew how much a university education costs, and wanted to help as many future students as possible.
Born in Lebanon, Susan came to Canada in 1958. She married young and had three girls — Julie, Cindy, and Amy. When her children were all in school full time, she combined motherhood with a career in the field of information technology. Eventually, she landed a position with Carleton University for 14 happy years until her retirement in 2016. As Susan states, “I loved my job at Carleton and working with so many amazing people. It was great!”
Her life became even more entwined with the university. Daughters Julie and Cindy attended Carleton and Amy now works here. Always interested in learning, Susan had begun to take continuing education courses as a special student in 1982. She found all her professors to be “top notch, respectful, helpful, and later, good to work with.” Despite her busy schedule, Susan looked forward to her evening classes and graduated with a B.A. in economics at the age of 50!
Higher education would have been a financial burden had it not been for her then employer covering the cost of tuition and books. It made a huge difference, and she and her family were grateful. Susan is clear. “Education is the key to solving so many of today’s problems and to making our world better for everyone.” It’s why she is so committed to Carleton University and it’s why she has remembered Carleton by arranging a gift in her will. When asked what she would say to someone who is considering a legacy gift for Carleton, Susan answers: “Of course you should! Regardless of your financial situation, you can always leave something. Just think of the benefits our gifts will have on students of the future.”