Melanie Jackson, in Memory of

The Melanie Jackson Memorial Award for Journalism was established to honour Holland College alum and former Journalism instructor, Melanie Jackson. Melanie passed away in 2023 after a brief illness. She faced her sudden illness the way she faced everything: with dignity, head-on, factual, and she made plans accordingly. She valued her time at Holland College, and was always grateful for the opportunity to graduate from the Journalism program as a mature student, connecting well with her colleagues and her students. When Holland College instructor Wayne Young announced his retirement in 2021, Melanie wasted no time in establishing an award in his honour. She felt that in establishing the award, she achieved two things that were very important to her – honouring a mentor and colleague and helping Holland College students. It is with those same sentiments this award was created.