HALIFAX -- Just ahead of the first anniversary of the Nova Scotia mass shooting, a friend of one of the victims is working to make a lasting legacy in her memory.
In memory of her friend, Lisa McCully, Susie Tector is working with Mount Allison University to make a memorial bursary in her name.
"She was full of life, and really wanting to make the world a better place," Tector said. She and McCully met while they were both students on campus.
"In our first year of university at Mount A, we were in the same residence there," she said. "We played rugby together, and then we became really good friends."
McCully earned a degree in arts and languages, eventually going on to travel before becoming an elementary teacher in Portapique, N.S.
The same town where Canada’s worst mass shooting began. In the end, 22 people lost their lives, including McCully.
She leaves behind two children.
"I was shocked," said Tector. "I was sad, and then very angry about everything that had happened."
Friends of McCully hope she will be remembered for who she was – not for how she died.
"She truly embodied the Mount Allison experience," said Mary-Jo Dionne, a friend and former classmate of McCully’s who she met in 1990. "I was so lucky to have her as one of my side kicks."
Once the funds are raised for the memorial bursary, it will be awarded to a student in New Brunswick who is in financial need.
"We can’t undo the terrible tragedy that took place," said Marcie Meekins, manager of Alumni Giving at Mount Allison. "All we can do is find a positive way to remember Lisa, and ensure that her legacy lives on for years to come."
The university says it has raised just over $8,000 for the bursary so far. The goal is to reach $25,0000, and it is scheduled to be awarded to a student beginning in 2022.
Information on how to donate is available on the bursary’s website.
