For one Lakelands family, Lander University is more than an alma mater. It is a shared thread woven through decades of service and compassion.
Gina Fingerlin was a first-generation college graduate when she earned a degree in nursing from Lander in 1983 and became a public health nurse. Now, her love for the University has continued as her daughters, Reagan Fingerlin ’23 and LeeAnna Fingerlin ’24, are carrying their mother’s values into their own careers of helping others.
While their professional journeys may have taken slightly different paths, they remain united through a common purpose: serving others and strengthening their communities. That same spirit also has connected them through the Evening Club, a longstanding organization affiliated with Lander’s Alumni Association that for 113 years has brought together alumni dedicated to friendship, philanthropy and support for the University. For the Fingerlin family, the Evening Club represents another chapter in a Lander legacy that has shaped not only their education and careers, but also the bonds they share with one another.
A Family’s Lander Story Years in the Making
Gina Fingerlin grew up in Saluda and knew from the time that she was a middle school student that she wanted to be a nurse. She wasn’t sure how she was going to achieve this goal, but a high school guidance counselor explained college options to Gina, who didn’t want to go far from home because she needed to commute to campus and also wanted a college education that was affordable while providing her with the classes she would need for a nursing career. Lander was the best fit.
“Several of my friends and I would meet in Saluda and commute to class and de-stress on the ride home,” she said. “Later, we drove to Greenwood for early morning clinicals at Self Memorial Hospital.”
As her career took shape as a public health nurse, Gina covered 22 health departments in South Carolina. “Lander’s nursing program shaped my entire career. The program has always had a great reputation for its rigor, preparation of nurses and excellent teachers,” she said. “When you leave Lander, you are professionally prepared to meet the world.”
The nursing program at Lander was two years when Gina graduated. The “maturity and confidence the program gave me” led her to earn her bachelor’s and graduate degrees in nursing. “Lander prepared me for what I did in the future,” she said. “I definitely felt ready to pursue my goals, and I am proud to be a Lander graduate.”
A Family Legacy of Compassion
When it came time for Gina’s daughters to attend college, Lander was a top contender. Reagan, who wanted to pursue a career in teaching, was attracted to the Teaching Fellows program at Lander. “I’ve always wanted to teach,” she said, noting that her first grade teacher inspired her love of education. “I also was drawn to the field of speech therapy, and I knew that these were two occupations where I could make a difference in people’s lives.”
Reagan received a Teaching Fellows scholarship, was a President’s List and Dean’s List awards recipient at Lander and earned her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education and teaching. With her interest in speech therapy, she decided to continue her education at New York University, where she recently earned a master’s degree in communicative sciences and disorders. During her time in the program, Reagan collaborated with speech language pathologists to deliver patient-centered, interdisciplinary care. She also performed swallow and speech screenings on adult and pediatric clients at multiple settings in New York City and developed care plans for patients.
Reagan recently accepted a job with Self Regional Healthcare to work as a speech therapist in home health care. “It is a dream career,” she said.
Through her work at Self, Reagan may even run into her sister, LeeAnna, who is a labor and delivery nurse at the hospital. “I always knew I wanted to be a nurse, and I had my mother as an example for understanding the impact that nurses have on other people’s lives,” LeeAnna said.
Although the rigors of the nursing program created challenges in her confidence to succeed, LeeAnna said the Lander nursing faculty were encouraging and supportive throughout her education. “They gave me the strength to keep going, and when I graduated, I realized that everything we did was to make us stronger, to become a better nurse,” she said.
She also credits the Clinical Accelerated Readiness Experience (CARE) program with Self, made possible by the strong academic and clinical affiliation between the two institutions, for helping her gain valuable clinical experience and make connections with the nursing staff. “I am the nurse I am today because of Lander,” said LeeAnna, who was among the first recipients of a scholarship through the Self Regional Scholars Program for Lander nursing students.
A Love for Lander Beyond the Classroom
During a conversation at the Office of Alumni Affairs, the Fingerlins discussed their connections with the University through involvement in alumni-related events and programs. Gina, who has been a longtime supporter and member of the Evening Club, encouraged her daughters to become Alumni Ambassadors while they were students at the University. And while many people may associate the Evening Club with an older membership, Reagan and LeeAnna are active participants with their mother.
The children of alumni have the opportunity to earn scholarships. “These scholarships helped my daughters,” Gina said. “Now we have the chance to give back through our association with the Lander Alumni Association.”
Brittany Tims, Lander’s director of Alumni Affairs and Annual Giving, said, “The Fingerlin family beautifully reflects the lasting impact of a Lander education and the way the University’s values continue to shape generations of alumni.”
Through their careers, “Gina Fingerlin and her daughters are devoting their lives to caring for others and strengthening their communities,” she said. “Their involvement in the Evening Club also speaks to the deep sense of connection and tradition that has long been part of the Lander family experience.”
Committed to Service
With careers in nursing, healthcare and education, the Fingerlins embody a commitment to service – a commitment they credit to the family’s matriarch Ann Thompson, 98, of Saluda. “My mother was always in our community helping others. She worked in a dental office but found time to raise a family and still be involved in taking food to people who were sick or supporting people in need,” Gina said. “The desire to care for others is a characteristic that I wanted for myself. I followed in her footsteps but didn’t realize it.”
She’s proud of the decisions that her daughters have made for their careers. “I am proud of their future, and it is a comfort to me to see that they have a great foundation for what they want to do in life. I’m proud that they are involved with Lander as alumni and the opportunity that we have to be involved together.”
LeeAnna said her mother’s encouragement is part of her Lander story. “She gave me the push to keep going. She would say, ‘you have the chance to make a difference in people’s lives.’ So, no matter how hard things seemed at times, I knew that I couldn’t give up. She’s definitely inspired us to pursue our dreams and keep going.”
Reagan, too, credits her mother with the gift of perseverance. “She showed us how to keep going even when things were tough, and she taught us to look on the bright side.”
For Gina, her mantra “to never give up” is now part of her daughters’ stories. “I wanted them to know that if they have a dream that you don’t give up. You keep going because you can make that dream a reality.”