There is no doubt Holly (Turner) Gunn ('68, '69, '02) is a champion for education and helping to eliminate boundaries. She started at Acadia at the age of 16 and received a Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Education and a Master of Education as well as a Master of Library and Information Science from Dalhousie University during her academic career. She fondly remembers a class during her BEd that focused on operating a school library. That was instrumental in guiding her career path as a junior high school teacher who taught English and was asked to operate the school library to her eventual career in librarianship.

Originally from New Ross, Lunenburg County, Holly Gunn knew she wanted to have a positive impact on other students from rural areas. In 2018, she created the Holly Turner Scholar-Bursary to support a full-time undergraduate student from rural Lunenburg County or rural Nova Scotia.

Holly Joudrey, from Barss Corner, is the first recipient of the Holly Turner Scholar-Bursary. Joudrey is in the Bachelor of Science biology program, and she is incredibly grateful for having received financial support from the scholar-bursary for the last four years. She says, “over the past four years, the Holly Turner Scholar-Bursary has been a huge help in reducing the financial stress of my education and has allowed me to focus more on my studies and personal growth instead of worrying about tuition or other costs. As someone from a rural area, I feel especially thankful for this award.”