“It’s not just about a black face on the wall; it’s about diversifying faces around where our students walk and see, and it’s about adding in black, Hispanic, LGBT and men in nursing,” she said. “We’ve only had a partial history. It’s incomplete. There are stories we still need to get.”

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Walker worked as an LPN at UVa for 50 years, meeting her husband and many of her friends while working there, she said. She depended on a love of people and her faith to carry her through tough days. She retired in 2010 from a position at the Emily Couric Cancer Center.

In the past few months, Walker has called many of her fellow graduates — she estimates roughly 30 of them — and told them about UVa’s project and upcoming ceremony. She said she hopes those who are elderly or ill will be able to make it to the event. There’s a lot to talk about. There’s a lot UVa needs to hear about, she said.