KENOSHA — In July 2017, 17-year-old Olivia MacKay was murdered in Kenosha — her father is now once again being forced to process unimaginable pain. But his response says everything about who Olivia was — and who her father is.
Olivia's body was found in a Mount Pleasant ditch in July of 2017. She was a student at Indian Trail High School, fluent in Spanish, advanced in Chinese, learning French and dreaming of studying abroad in France the very summer she was killed. Two men were convicted in connection with her death. This week, her father, Kelly MacKay, learned that one of those individuals has been released.
Rather than letting that news consume him — he is channeling it into something meaningful.
Watch: Kenosha father honors daughter murdered in 2017, as convicted man in her case is released
"One of the people involved in the situation with her is now released," Mackay said. "I thought — what's the best way I can utilize this? Let's pour more money into the scholarship fund — to make something good out of a horrible situation."
That scholarship — the Olivia MacKay Study Abroad Memorial Scholarship — was created through the Education Foundation of Kenosha. It provides two $2,000 scholarships to Kenosha Unified School District students pursuing study abroad programs, carrying on Olivia's passion for culture, language, and travel.
Her father says Olivia was always the kind of person who lifted others up.
"She was always the type of person that liked to take people underneath her wing — that needed a little bit of support," he said. "In any way, this is fulfilling that dream of helping other people."
He has a message for anyone carrying grief of their own.
"It can be pretty bad, and it hurts a lot — it feels like your guts are completely ripped out," he said. "But I would say — there is a pathway through."
To donate to the Olivia MacKay Study Abroad Memorial Scholarship — visit the Education Foundation of Kenosha.
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