Associate Professor Dave Thomas remembers Kavana Wa Kilele fondly from his political science course at Mount Allison.
He is among the many Mount Allison community members who remembers Kavana for her courage, intelligence, and care.
Between 2015-2019, Kavana was an active participant on campus and made several strong bonds with students and staff.
Kavana unexpectedly passed away in her home country of Kenya this year. Shortly after her tragic passing, Kavana’s friend Kit Nicholson and some Mount Allison staff banded together to make a bursary in her name. Dave Thomas is one of those involved.
“Kavana was a really interesting person. Right from the first conversation I had with her after class one day,
I really liked her…This really smart, savvy, and energetic young person who had a really good, astute analysis of the world around her, and the world around us, in a way that that is very rare amongst amongst students…[What] left such a lasting impression on me was courageous she was, not at all afraid to take a stand, and not at all afraid to speak her mind.”
Thomas fondly recalls Kavana meeting with him after class to challenge the way he taught about certain subject matter, which he found impressive.
“She had no fear and and no problem, in a polite way, but in a rigorous way, challenging the way that they had said something or done something in class. That’s what I always liked about her… She was never afraid to confront people in positions of power. When there was something at stake, when she thought it was important to do so. That’s a super, super important character trait that I loved about Kavana.”
The bursary is in early stages of funding, but Thomas hopes to see it reach $25,000 so it can be made into a permanent endowed bursary.
Incoming Black students are eligible for the Kavana Wa Kilele bursary, with preference given to students who have an interest in social justice or political work.
“I think it does honor truly honor Kavana. It’s something she would be get behind. But also, I think we can really add value to the university by having such a bursary.”
At the time of this conversation, Thomas estimated that under $5,000 had been donated so far. Mount Allison could not provide an exact figure, but agreed it was in early stages.
Donations to the bursary can be made online, here. Under “gift details” select “other” and insert Kavana Wa Kilele Bursary as the fund name.
