Stacy Kelly, Artsci’96
Established a bursary to honour his mother, Jacqueline Hodgins Kelly.
I established this bursary to honour all that my mother sacrificed to provide the best life she could for me. She was quite young and was a single parent, so my mother had to forego her education so she could work to support us. My mom always stressed the importance of education and she pushed me to do the best I could. This was a healthy push, though. There was no neurosis about overall standing or an allowance if I got a certain grade. The message was to apply myself and to do my best.
I believe my mom understood that education was key to opportunities. Frankly, these opportunities were closed to her. I’m filled with emotion when I think of the many menial jobs she did to provide us a home. One of the things that stays with me is that she could have given me up. She was offered; it was frequently suggested, but in the end my mother chose to keep me. To make that decision at such a young age and to understand it meant giving up a possible future is a profound act of love. I understand now that this is the kind of thing that mothers do all the time. When she later married and had two more children, the sacrifices continued.
In the summer of 1989 my mom called me at work to tell me that a letter had come from Queen's and she had opened it. She informed me that I had been accepted. I remember being upset that she had opened my mail, but I later understood that my thrill and excitement at getting into Queen's was also her thrill and her excitement. I also know that when I graduated, my enormous pride in being a Queen's graduate was also her enormous pride. Surely for a woman who didn't finish high school to have a child graduate from Queen's meant a great deal more than I will ever truly understand.
But this award is not just about the past. It is about the future. I want to be a part of what the Ban Righ Centre does for all the women who will come through its doors – women who are willing to take a chance on themselves and go back to school. It is something worth honouring and supporting with this bursary.
Fund Description:
Established in honour of Jacqueline Hodgins Kelly by her son, Stacy Kelly, Artsci'93. Awarded on the basis of financial need to female students who, after an interruption in formal education, are beginning or returning to university studies.
