When Mount Allison graduate Kavana Wa Kilele died unexpectedly two years ago in her home country of Kenya, a group of people came together to establish an endowment to honour her memory.
The goal is to create a needs-based bursary that will support Black students who are passionate about social justice activism. It will be Mount Allison’s first endowment meant specifically to support Black students.
Kavana has been described as a beloved friend known for her compassion and intelligence. She co-founded the Sackville Refugee Response Coalition, which helped resettle several families in the Maritimes.
"I know she was definitely an important part of the Sackville community and the Mount A community," said Helen Yao, a Mount Allison graduate involved in the effort.
About $10,000 has been raised towards the goal of $25,000 for the endowment so far. Once that goal is achieved, the bursary is expected to become self-sustaining, producing about $1,000 per year.
During Black History Month, organizers are asking local businesses to pitch in, noting that Kavana held a number of jobs at enterprises around town to afford her studies. Tuition for international students at Mount Allison is about $20,000, approximately double that of domestic students.
Kit Nicholson, who was a close friend of Kavana, described her as a natural leader who left people with a powerful impression. "She boosted the confidence of a lot of people, especially of young women and of young women of colour," Nicholson said.
A spokesperson for the university provided an emailed statement.
It said that Marcie Meekins, the university’s Manager of Alumni Giving, has worked diligently with a group of people “to ensure the endowment reflects Kavana’s strong social justice leadership characteristics and would support international students.”
People involved in the initiative include Kavana’s friends, members of the Sackville Refugee Response Coalition, the International Centre and Black Students’ Union (BSU).
Over the past two years, the BSU and the university bookstore have partnered during Black History Month to sell T-shirts with a portion of sales going to the endowment, according to the statement.
“We’re honoured to be able to play a role in this amazing initiative that will pay tribute to a student leader who was taken from us far too soon,” Meekins said.
To support the Kavana Memorial Endowment Fund, you can donate online at mta.ca/donate. You can also buy a Black History Matters T-shirt from the Mount Allison bookstore. Follow the initiative on Instagram at kme.fund.
Listen to the interview with Helen Yao and Kit Nicholson, two Mount Allison graduates involved in raising funds for the Kavana Memorial Endowment Fund.