Abi’s impact

April 29, 2025

Late alumna’s battle with cancer inspires a scholarship fund to keep her memory going strong

“Abi was like a light bulb,” Dr. Kate Campbell, chair of UND’s Herr School of Accountancy, says about Abi Nadeau Winsor (pictured above). “She was the one that would light up a room with her joyful personality.” Photo courtesy of UND Alumni Association & Foundation.

Editor’s note: In the UND LEADS Strategic Plan, the Equity core value calls on the University to “reduce barriers to higher education by increasing affordability through scholarships, need-based aid and Open Educational Resources.” This story reports on a UND alumna who passed away when she was just 25, but whose life so inspired her friends, family members and even professors that they established a scholarship in her name.

This story originally appeared on the website of the UND Alumni Association & Foundation.

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By Chad O’Shea

There are people who make a special impact on others with their presence and the way they make you feel. Abi Nadeau Winsor, ’14, was one of them.

The accounting alum was the ultimate includer in every environment. To those who knew Abi, she was a beam of positivity. She wouldn’t be slowed down by a busy schedule or any challenges that came her way. She made the most of every moment she had.

In an instant, those moments became numbered. When she was just 25, Abi was diagnosed with brain cancer. After a 10-month battle with the disease, Abi passed away.

Anne Holland, ’14, ’22, (left) and Abi Nadeau Winsor, in caps-and-gowns at graduation — Anne Holland, ’14, ’22, (left) and Abi Nadeau Winsor, ’14, (right) graduated together after developing a strong friendship while living on the same floor in Selke Hall. Photo courtesy of UND Alumni Association & Foundation.

Accountant Abi

Selke Hall is where the stories began for Abi’s earliest UND friend group. Anne Holland, ’14, ’22, lived on the same floor and graduated in the same class.

“She was basically the mother of our friend group,” Anne said. “She would comfort you when things were tough, make everything a fun time, and get involved in so many ways to help others.” Holland credits herself for steering Abi toward accounting. Abi was struggling to figure out which path she wanted to pursue for a career, and after Anne suggested trying an accounting class, Abi was hooked.

“Abi was like a light bulb,” remembers Kate Campbell, chair of UND’s Herr School of Accountancy. “She was the one who would light up a room with her joyful personality.”

Mike Hendrickson led one of Abi’s accounting classes and asked students to commit to a grade that they were willing to work toward by the end of the semester. Abi chose a B, but Hendrickson saw more in her. “She said that she had over-worked herself in her early years at UND and wanted more stability, a mark of her humility, I believe,” Mike said. “Long story short: she finished with an A.”

Through her heavy involvement on campus, she made the most of her UND experience and dedicated herself to helping others.

A tribute from tragedy

Close friends and classmates Josh Nelson, ’14, and Libby Rabon, ’15, were reading a story about a scholarship fund that was started at UND. The idea of starting a scholarship endowment to honor Abi was born.

They reached out to Campbell for help, word spread, and soon after, donors began stepping forward – including Abi’s former professor Mike Hendrickson. The Abi Nadeau Winsor Scholarship was officially established shortly before Abi’s passing, realizing her dream of supporting students in the same way she was supported at UND.

Abi was overjoyed and joked that “a scholarship is the most accountant way to haunt a place.”

“We’re really happy that this became a reality so her name will come up every year, forever,” Josh said.

Coincidentally, every recipient of the Abi Nadeau Winsor Scholarship has had a tie to Abi, either through people she knew or similar personality traits. The first scholarship recipient, Abi’s friend Anne Holland, was enrolled in UND’s online accountancy master’s program at the time and saw it as a full-circle moment to receive support in Abi’s name.

Another scholarship recipient, Marissa Linback, ’23, was mentored by Libby Rabon through the Pancratz Mentor Program. “It’s funny how life works, and it’s awesome that Abi’s friends really cared about her enough to start a scholarship in her name,” Marissa said.

Abi (in the white wedding dress) and Jeff Winsor (in the same blue shirt he wore on his first date with Abi) met online while living in the Minneapolis area after college. “She had an incredible ability to make everyone feel welcome and loved,” Jeff said. After dating for over a year, Abi was diagnosed with cancer in December 2017. Despite her health challenges, the couple got engaged in August 2018. When Abi’s health declined that October, they held a home wedding ceremony surrounded by close family and friends, just two weeks before Abi passed away. Jeff continues to stay in touch with many of the friends who supported them during that time. Photo courtesy of UND Alumni Association & Foundation.

Abi Lives On

Each year, the accounting department awards the scholarship to an actively involved accountancy major. Dr. Campbell makes sure that each recipient knows Abi’s story. In UND’s Herr School of Accountancy, Abi Nadeau Winsor remains a symbol of how much impact one person can make on their community.

Visit the Alumni Association & Foundation’s dedicated webpage to support the Abi Nadeau Winsor Scholarship.

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