Melissa's Legacy: Awareness & Action

Every year, Stouffer holds an auction to remember Melissa Sengbusch, a former Stouffer resident and Penn Nursing student who passed away from leukemia before finishing her studies at Penn. Residents, faculty, staff, and alumni bid on donated items and all proceeds benefit the Penn School of Nursing's Melissa Sengbusch Inspiration Scholarship Fund.

Formerly known as the Dutch Auction, this revised traditional house program aims to honor the memory of former Stouffer resident Melissa Sengbusch and continue her legacy of strength and community impact. We encourage all students and community members to participate in this two-part program!

Event Details:
📅 Part 1 – Fundraiser at El Taco (March 20, 11 AM - 9:30 PM)
Enjoy a meal at El Taco, and 20% of your order will go toward a scholarship in Melissa’s name at the School of Nursing.

📅 Part 2 – Cancer Awareness & Education Session (March 21, 3:00 - 4:30 PM, Stouffer)
A meaningful discussion on cancer awareness and action.

Join us in keeping Melissa's spirit alive and supporting a great cause!

Love or Fear

(written August 17, 1999 after bone marrow transplant)

In my heart burns low, a fear only I can ever know
and with this haunting how can I live, for all my
thoughts to this I cannot give.

And yet neither can I ignore the painful situation
I am in and have been before.
An all too real truth I know
that the way things seem is not always what is so.

Love or fear, choose one, choose life.
Both entities will never in harmony recite
the songs of my soul -

So I choose love, but how can I? When I'd be
lying to myself, denying to myself that I'm not
scared of what could be.
A cruel reality has not been lost on me.

Faith in the world, the spirit of a girl,
trust in the order, the sacred rhythm of time
that pulls me forward
and brings me each new morn is what shall
bring me to love, and I shall no longer be torn.
  • Melissa