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 Jennifer Leigh Kynkor’s dream of attending Miami University ended too quickly.
A vibrant and outgoing 18-year old who aspired to work with autistic children, Jennifer died tragically in a car accident on Sept. 13, 2003 – just three weeks into her freshman year.
“She was a funny kid. I used to tell her my favorite thing about her was her ability to make fun of herself,” recalled Jennifer’s mother, Becky Young `77. “She also was very compassionate. From the time she was little, she had a soft side that was drawn to the less fortunate.”
On Dec. 13, 2007, a day that would have been her 23rd birthday, Jennifer’s memory and legacy of compassion were forever captured in a scholarship for Miami University’s Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology. The endowed scholarship, which is designated for a student interested in working with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), was established through the Jennifer Leigh Kynkor Foundation (www.JennysDream.org).
The need for trained professionals to work with ASD, the most common of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders, is at an all-time high and growing. According to a 2007 study of the Centers for Disease Control Prevention, ASD affects one in 150 births, meaning as many as 1.5 million Americans are believed to have some form of autism. ASD is growing at an alarming rate and could affect four million Americans in the next decade.
The Kynkor scholarship will be awarded annually to a student planning to become a speech pathology professional with a focus on helping children and families affected by ASD.
“Jenny had goals and dreams of what she was going to do, and she knew education was how she was going to get there,” Young said. “Going to Miami was one of her dreams. Unfortunately, she didn’t achieve her goal of graduating, but this scholarship makes it possible for other kids to realize that dream. Jenny lives on in this scholarship.”
For Jennifer, a graduate of Mason High School, Miami was in her blood. Both her parents, Young and Gary Kynkor `78, were Miami graduates, and Jennifer was decked out in Miami T-shirts and sweatshirts from a young age. She also enjoyed day trips to Oxford, where she attended sporting events and went skating in Goggin Ice Arena. Despite her mother’s concerns, Jennifer did not have a back-up plan when it came time to choose a college.
“When we got to her sophomore and junior year, I told her it would be a good idea to set up formal visits to Miami and some other schools,” Young said. “When I asked her what other schools she wanted to visit, she kept saying ‘why visit anywhere else when I already know where I want to go?’ We finally cut a deal that if she was accepted during the early decision period, I wouldn’t make her look anywhere else.”
Jennifer’s passion for Miami was matched only by her passion for helping others. Having overcome Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) in her own life, she spent much of her free time during high school tutoring special needs students, especially those with ADD. A defining moment arrived when Jennifer was approached about volunteering with a three-year old autistic boy named Ryan – a challenge she was thrilled to undertake.
She worked with Ryan’s regular therapists, who taught her to use a combination of positive reinforcement and sign language to reach the boy. Though the going was difficult at times, Jennifer looked forward to each session.
“Jenny had ADD herself and was naturally very impatient,” Young said. “But when she worked with Ryan, I never saw her like that. She had extreme patience with him. Sometimes he would get frustrated and scratch her, but it didn’t bother her. I knew she had found her gift.”
When Jennifer left for college, she stayed in regular contact with Ryan’s mother to check on his progress and volunteer to work with him when she was on break. One of the treasured possessions found hanging from the wall of Jennifer’s dorm room was a photo of Ryan.
“Jennifer would have done wonderful things in her life,” Young said. “Her biggest dreams were of going to Miami and making a difference in the lives of kids with autism. This is our way of making those dreams come true.”
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