Kathryn Walker Francis '94, views her education at The Hockaday School as one of the most treasured gifts of her life—a gift made possible by her parents' generosity as well as the consideration of others.
"Tuition alone doesn't cover the actual costs of educating a student," Kathryn explains. "And while my family, in part, gave me this gift, generous donations from other parents and alumnae also helped provide me with a Hockaday education by covering full tuition costs." Fall 2010 "
Hockaday has always been the School of choice for women in my family—a tradition that spans generations," Kathryn says. She graduated in 1994, later earning undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Virginia.
These days, Kathryn is an accomplished businesswoman as well as a wife and mother. Despite those many demands, Kathryn supports Hockaday by sharing time, talent and financial resources as a Trustee and president of the Alumnae Association.
Kathryn recently included Hockaday in her estate planning. The bequest is a simple one-page amendment to her will, drawn up and signed in about an hour. It will likely be used to support the endowment, helping build Hockaday's future legacy. Kathryn says, "I feel tremendous satisfaction in seeing good things come to Hockaday and being a small part of it all."
Kathryn explains that Hockaday is where she "learned to learn," gaining confidence and independence to tackle whatever challenges life may bring.
"For 13 years, Hockaday laid the foundation for who I am and who I strive to be," she says. "Now it is my turn to pay it forward and support the education of tomorrow's women."