The Chapel on Thursday, March 30th was surely a special one. One of our most beloved members of our community, Ms. Wallace, is leaving Kent, and she shared her final words during that morning. “It has been a remarkable journey,” she told me, “and I will miss Kent dearly.”

Ms. Wallace grew up in Wolcott, Connecticut, in a 13-child family. She found passion in track and foreign language during high school. Born into a religious family, Ms.Wallace pursued her interest in culture through studying various religious courses; furthermore, she learned French, Italian, and Spanish and received an award for each of them. It was only at Kent that she came to pursue a career in diversity, but her interest in people has been there since the beginning: “Born in a very white community, I am always fascinated by the variation amongst different people’s cultures, and it has enlightened me to study diversity work.” 

It was during 2015 that Kent became a part of Ms. Wallace’s life. First as a member of the marketing department, Ms. Wallace helped with the digital outlook of the school and aimed to promote the school of its long-lasting goals and vision. She then joined the communications department, a “hidden” part of the school which connected and addressed information across bodies of students, different departments, and families. Then, two years ago, she settled on her final job at Kent at the EID (Equality, Inclusion, and Diversity) office, which sought to make students feel more at home at Kent by arranging various cultural events such as Rosh Hashanah, Chinese New Year, and more. 

When asked about her most memorable moment at Kent, Ms.Wallace answered without hesitating:“Yesterday’s chapel.” “I love Kent’s community and I know they are kind, but it was still so powerful and emotional for me to feel the standing ovation of hundreds of people,” she said. It is also interesting to note that Ms. Wallace talked about the importance of clapping for others during her last Community Life lesson just the day before her chapel talk; in giving her a standing ovation, we put that lesson into practice and recognized her by doing so. 

As Ms. Wallace carries her wisdom to her next destination, she remarks to the Kent community: “Listen to your inner voice and find help in this beautiful place. It might be cliche, but help is always offered at a place at Kent.”