About Lisa

Lisa Corsini was a 24-year old nursing student at the UIC College of Nursing Urbana–Champaign Regional Program when she died on September 9, 2001 after being hit by a car.

Lisa was passionate about becoming a nurse and caring for others. In high school, she developed a kidney infection and missed nearly two years of school. Lisa said, “Being ill made me realize how much a person, with even small acts of caring, can make such a difference.” She never forgot how nurses made a difference when she desperately needed it and was inspired to become one herself.

Lisa grew up in Italy but had deep American roots. Her mother is originally from Barrington, Illinois and met her future husband, Claudio “Fab” Corsini, when he was a foreign exchange student at her high school in 1965-1966. Lisa and her sister, Susy, were also exchange students in the US; Lisa attended schools in Lincoln and Mt. Zion, Illinois.

Lisa loved the challenge of studying and learning even though she disliked taking exams. Training to become a nurse at UIC was her biggest challenge. Being a non-native English speaker, the work was very hard for her and the load sometimes seemed too heavy; eventually she blossomed in the challenging environment, thanks to her growing self-confidence and her College of Nursing mentors.

Lisa always enjoyed bike riding with her family. Her father, Fab has special memories of rides with Lisa and the family in the Alps, which inspired his tribute ride in Lisa's memory. Fab says, “I have been dreaming of this ride all my working life and sharing biking with Lisa during her high school years has made it even more sentimental."

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