Around 20 community members gathered May 7 in the Ludwick Center for this month’s “What Matters to Me and Why” talk by Professor of Management Louise Kelly.
Kelly highlighted her Scottish and Irish roots and connected her cultural upbringing in her lecture.
Kelly spoke about her parents’ experience immigrating from Scotland, how education became the foundation of their family and how it shaped her growing up.
“(My mom) was a good student, but due to a quota (of Irish Catholic students), she needed the parish priest to advocate for her education,” Kelly said. “For her family, education was not taken for granted—it opened doors both geographically and mentally, allowing them to experience new worlds. We see this at the University of La Verne, where education creates new opportunities for students.”
Kelly spoke about her journey, how she found her voice and how she uses it in her books.
She also asked the audience to consider who they believe they are in society and how they would like to use their voice.
Megan Granquist, professor of kinesiology, who attended the lecture said she enjoyed hearing Kelly’s story.
“When I come to events like this I get very emotional because I do not know most of the heartache and struggles people went through to be here or where they are now.”
“Every immigrant has a different story,” said Katy Tangenberg, dean of the college of health, who also attended the Thursday lecture.
“This lecture was very meaningful because of the state of the world currently with all the immigration issues,” Tangenberg added.
—Kalayah Frazier
Kalayah Frazier is a sophomore journalism major with a concentration in print-online journalism. She is calendar editor and a staff photographer for the Campus Times. She has previously served as a staff writer.
