Maisey O’Donnell’s family urges students: ‘Lead by example … and be kind’
“Go out into the world [and] do well, but more importantly, go out into the world and do good.”
When the community gathered at Acton-Carlisle High School on Sunday to honor the three seniors whose lives ended after a car accident last week that also left a fourth student critically injured, Dr. Betsy O’Donnell, mother of the late Maisey O’Donnell, urged students to “go out into the world and do good.”
Here, published with her express permission, are her remarks.
“Christoph, Emmy, and I, along with the other families involved in this week’s tragedy, have experienced the unthinkable. However, in the face of this tragedy, we have also witnessed the incredible power of community and the importance of kindness. We have tremendous gratitude and appreciation for the community that we live in. Both we and our children have been surrounded by immense love. The prevailing emotion that has greeted us for every minute and at every turn has been that of kindness.
“To all of the students in this audience, there are a lot of messages in the world these days propagating hate and highlighting our differences, and what I would ask you to remember is that we are more alike than we are different and that we are grounded in our fundamental love for our families, for our friends, and in a spirit of kindness as our first instinct.
“Maisey was beautiful inside and out. She was humble (perhaps to a fault); she was ethical; she was highly intelligent; she was an elegant athlete; she could perform under pressure and rise to the occasion. She was a tremendous friend, sister, and daughter. We love her. And we appreciate all of the love that this community has expressed.
“In Maisey‘s honor, we ask that all of the graduating seniors go out into the world do well, but more importantly, go out into the world and do good. Be your best selves, take your opportunities, love deeply, lead by example, and, above all, be kind.”
The O’Donnell family has established a fund in Maisey’s honor to help create a state-of-the-art facility at the Beede Center for Acton divers. To learn more, please see her full obituary here or visit the fund’s page here.
