Mary Neiheisel, a longtime professor of nursing at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, was awarded Lafayette’s 2017 Civic Cup in a ceremony Thursday at the Petroleum Club.

It’s just so incredible and unbelievable," she said. "I was speechless. I’m deeply grateful and deeply humbled."
In her professional life, Neiheisel has been published dozens of times and holds multiple nursing licenses in Louisiana and Texas.

Beyond that, she has been involved with the Zonta Club, the United Way of Acadiana, the Rotary Club, the Performing Arts Society of Acadiana, the Lafayette Public Library Foundation, Leadership Lafayette and the Woman’s Foundation, among others.

A native of Texas, Neiheisel moved to Lafayette after she married. She immediately took to her new city.

I just found this such a welcoming community," she said. I wasn’t a Cajun, and yet they invited me to participate, and I got started with different projects and started working with so many wonderful people."

Each of the organizations and people have meant a lot to Neiheisel, but her work with Faith House has made a particular impression.

Every person I know at Faith House is inspiring to me because of their work ethic and love and caring for people," she said.