The Alanna Jenkins Fund

On April 19th, 2020, StFX Forensic Psychology lost a dear friend and valuable alumna, Alanna Jenkins. Alanna was one of the 22 who lost their lives during the Nova Scotia spree killing.

Alanna was a devoted and caring member of the STFX community, sharing a passionate and mutual love for the Forensic Psychology program. During her time both in and outside of STFX she added irreplaceable energy, excitement, and commitment to her work. Alanna was instrumental in organizing the very first CSC@X Day (now Forensic Psychology Day@X). After graduating in 2005 with a major in psychology, Alanna joined the Correctional Service Canada (CSC). In the intervening years, she participated in CSC@X Day in her professional capacity as a correctional officer and then correctional manager. She facilitated innumerable field trips to Nova Institution for Women, facilitated data collection and analysis for at least two of my honours/Ph.D. students, and mentored (indeed, inspired) many other StFX students who were interested in pursuing a career with the correctional service. She was held in the highest regard by all for her commendable skills in balancing the competing demands of operations (security) and intervention (mental health). Alanna was such an accomplished StFX alumna who continued to give back to her alma mater long after graduating. In so many ways, Alanna was a pure gem, a rare gem; one who will be sorely missed by all who had the pleasure of knowing her.

In June 2020, StFX established a Legacy Fund in Alanna's name. This fund is intended to support a summer research grant for an Applied Forensic Psychology student (2nd or 3rd year) who proposes to examine mental health and criminal justice issues, with special preference given to mental health and corrections. During her time with CSC, Alanna did mental health training with correctional staff and had an abiding interest in mental health in the correctional workplace. Since graduating from StFX, Alanna has contributed to the education of StFX students in a number of ways, year over year. I think she would approve of this initiative, albeit in her humble way.