ALUMNI IN THE NEWS
New York Times Article Cites Distinguished Young Alumna’s Commitment to Pursuing Her Passion When Kelly Sweeney McShane ’83 addressed the Upper School in 1993, she had no idea that 19 years later a Pulitzer Prize winning columnist in the New York Times would highlight her and a significant portion of her message. In her remarks as the Distinguished Young Alumna Award Recipient, Kelly told the audience, “I remember speakers in assembly talking about their experiences overseas or their work in the U.S., people who spoke about ‘responsibility’ and ‘giving back to community.’ I went to college knowing there was a big wonderful world out there and that I wanted to make a difference in it. I Kelly Sweeney's senior just needed to figure out how.” yearbook photo Kelly talked of how her educational experiences at Kinkaid, including being on the Debate Team and making Interim Trip trips to Italy and Greece, helped broaden her horizons. She mentioned a young lady named YaM’Ballu from Sierra Leone whom she became friends with while serving in the Peace Corps. YaM’Ballu impressed Kelly with her positive attitude, despite living in difficult conditions filled with frequent starvation and the lack of basic necessities. Her long connection to Sierra Leone and how Kelly figured how to make a difference were mentioned in a May 26 column by Nicolas Kristof in the New York Times. He wrote about Memuna, a young girl whom 12 years ago become an unlikely symbol of human depravity in Sierra Leone. Photos of Memuna,
“In looking back at my life so far, I realize that I don’t really think about my choices in terms of “service” but more in terms of pursuing my passion - of connecting with other people who come from very different backgrounds, sharing their sorrows, and celebrating their joys. I encourage Kinkaid students to stretch outside their comfort zones. You will be richly rewarded in finding meaning and perspective in life.” - Kelly Sweeney McShane ’83
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McShane family photo from trip to Sierra Leone near the village Kelly was in while in the Peace Corps from 1987 to 1989. (Left to right) Molly McShane (18), Kelly, Memuna's brother Chernor (18), Memuna (15), Kevin McShane, Memuna's brother Issa (20), Michael McShane (15), Memuna's brother Alhaji (23)
whose arm was amputated after she was shot, and other similarly harmed children helped to build the global political will to intervene and end Sierra Leone’s civil war. Two years later Rotary International brought Memuna to the United States by for medical reasons, and two years later Kelly and her husband Kevin adopted her. Kelly wrote Headmaster Don North a few weeks after the article was published. “It is amazing how far that article has reached and how many people follow Nicholas Kristof. Our life has indeed been blessed by Memuna in so many ways. We have been back to visit Sierra Leone twice in the last few years, including seeing her brothers - who we are trying to get a visa for, hence agreeing to the article - as well as my Peace Corps village. A trip to Sierra Leone makes me truly appreciate all the blessings of our lives in D.C.” Kelly continues her belief in serving others as executive director of Community for Hope, a Washington, D.C. organization that recently won the Washington Post Award for Excellence in Nonprofit Management. “In looking back at my life so far, I realize that I don’t really think about my choices in terms of “service” but more in terms of pursuing my passion - of connecting with other people who come from very different backgrounds, sharing their sorrows, and celebrating their joys. I encourage Kinkaid students to stretch outside their comfort zones. You will be richly rewarded in finding meaning and perspective in life.”