Hurricane Helene hit Asheville, NC, on September 27, 2024, dumping about 14 inches of rain in the town and along the Blue Ridge Mountains. The French Broad River crested nearly 25 feet, or 22 feet above normal. At least 88 people died in the disaster as roads crumbled, vehicles floated, and homes collapsed.
Two of the Step Forward Scholarship Fund program’s students attend school in the Asheville area. The weeks of uncertainty following the Helene disaster represent just one chapter in these students’ lives. To top it off, the two students are sisters.
Two of the Step Forward Scholarship Fund program’s students attend school in the Asheville area. The weeks of uncertainty following the Helene disaster represent just one chapter in these students’ lives. To top it off, the two students are sisters.
Isabel Killian
Isabel Killian Life was normal for Isabel—for a while. She was born in Mount Mitchell in western North Carolina, and her family moved just three years later to Pittsboro. Isabel attended a charter school during grades 6–12 at Hawbridge, located in Saxapahaw. The school was unique in that it incorporated the curriculum with the scenic outdoors nearby. Isabel named off her school experiences: “River Day,” a canoeing unit, an “Outdoor Skills” unit—not to mention beach camping.
Today, Isabel is a double major in psychology and Spanish at the University of North Carolina - Asheville, hoping to graduate in December. She loves social psychology, the discipline that studies how people and groups influence each other. And next? Isabel will begin applying to graduate schools for a master’s in social work. Her ultimate goal is to use her social work training in a newly opened young adult cancer clinic at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill.
Nearly 22, Isabel has a very specific career path in mind. How can she know her mind so young?
Isabel is a leukemia survivor—diagnosed in her senior year of high school, just one month before her 18th birthday. She spent much of her senior year on the couch at home. During her cancer treatments at UNC, she found herself treated mainly in pediatric clinics, where she was often the oldest one there. Isabel attended an adult cancer clinic twice, surrounded by 50- to 80-year-olds. “It was sad in a different way,” she said. “I didn’t fit in either place.”
Isabel’s experience with leukemia gave her the opportunity to share her story and raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Inspired by her oncologist, Dr. Patrick Thompson, Isabel felt led to reach out to other young patients to share her experience. She says, “Cancer re-directed my path. A forced gap year helped me to think about what I wanted to do. Cancer has given me a lot of opportunities.”
During this gap year, Isabel felt the support of her family. Her mother quit her job to help Isabel through the cancer treatments. Isabel’s father, Governors Club golf course superintendent Matt Killian, was there too. Isabel noted that “Governors Club was super. My dad could leave work for a while to be with me during my treatments. How many employers would do that?”
As if leukemia weren’t enough in Isabel’s life, then there was Helene. Isabel remembers, “When the hurricane hit, I lived in an off-campus apartment. The night before the rains began, I went to work on campus for The Food Equity Initiative; it was eerily quiet. The next morning, the apartment was surrounded by incredible, fierce winds. Soon, the power went out.” It wasn’t until Isabel and some friends walked over to campus that they realized the devastation of Helene.
Isabel recalls, “U-Haul trucks were floating down the river, and houses were underwater. Trees had fallen across roads, one on Karpen Hall, an academic department at UNC-A.” After finding a hotel in downtown Asheville with Wi-Fi, Isabel received instructions from her parents on how to get out of Asheville safely, as numerous roads were blocked or washed away. Hours later, the group of friends (driving a hybrid with very little gasoline) arrived in Charlotte to meet Isabel’s sister, Mary. Using Mary’s car, they arrived safely in Pittsboro hours later. Isabel, along with sister Mary, became bombarded for many weeks with the tragedy of Helene. It was nightmarish.
Isabel returned to her studies in Asheville a month later, although her apartment had no potable water. Classes were on Zoom—“It was like COVID all over again!” Isabel stated.
Isabel steps back from her life experiences for a moment to thank the SFSF program. She has received scholarships for 2022, 2023, and 2024. “I’m grateful for my SF mentor, Larry Manaugh, who checks in with me and helps me with letters of recommendation,” Isabel said. Also, as Isabel noted, “The scholarship money is very helpful. Fighting cancer is so expensive!”
Nancy Broaddus, president of SFSF, adds: “Isabel’s resilience has been tested in ways that few could imagine. Her strength has always been evident, but the storm pushed her to new limits. Through it all, Isabel’s determination and unwavering spirit remain clear. The Step Forward Scholarship Fund is incredibly proud to have Isabel as a recipient. She exemplifies the perseverance and commitment to overcoming challenges that define our mission.”
What a life has been lived in just twenty-one years.
Isabel Killian
Isabel Killian Life was normal for Isabel—for a while. She was born in Mount Mitchell in western North Carolina, and her family moved just three years later to Pittsboro. Isabel attended a charter school during grades 6–12 at Hawbridge, located in Saxapahaw. The school was unique in that it incorporated the curriculum with the scenic outdoors nearby. Isabel named off her school experiences: “River Day,” a canoeing unit, an “Outdoor Skills” unit—not to mention beach camping.
Today, Isabel is a double major in psychology and Spanish at the University of North Carolina - Asheville, hoping to graduate in December. She loves social psychology, the discipline that studies how people and groups influence each other. And next? Isabel will begin applying to graduate schools for a master’s in social work. Her ultimate goal is to use her social work training in a newly opened young adult cancer clinic at the University of North Carolina (UNC) in Chapel Hill.
Nearly 22, Isabel has a very specific career path in mind. How can she know her mind so young?
Isabel is a leukemia survivor—diagnosed in her senior year of high school, just one month before her 18th birthday. She spent much of her senior year on the couch at home. During her cancer treatments at UNC, she found herself treated mainly in pediatric clinics, where she was often the oldest one there. Isabel attended an adult cancer clinic twice, surrounded by 50- to 80-year-olds. “It was sad in a different way,” she said. “I didn’t fit in either place.”
Isabel’s experience with leukemia gave her the opportunity to share her story and raise funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Inspired by her oncologist, Dr. Patrick Thompson, Isabel felt led to reach out to other young patients to share her experience. She says, “Cancer re-directed my path. A forced gap year helped me to think about what I wanted to do. Cancer has given me a lot of opportunities.”
During this gap year, Isabel felt the support of her family. Her mother quit her job to help Isabel through the cancer treatments. Isabel’s father, Governors Club golf course superintendent Matt Killian, was there too. Isabel noted that “Governors Club was super. My dad could leave work for a while to be with me during my treatments. How many employers would do that?”
As if leukemia weren’t enough in Isabel’s life, then there was Helene. Isabel remembers, “When the hurricane hit, I lived in an off-campus apartment. The night before the rains began, I went to work on campus for The Food Equity Initiative; it was eerily quiet. The next morning, the apartment was surrounded by incredible, fierce winds. Soon, the power went out.” It wasn’t until Isabel and some friends walked over to campus that they realized the devastation of Helene.
Isabel recalls, “U-Haul trucks were floating down the river, and houses were underwater. Trees had fallen across roads, one on Karpen Hall, an academic department at UNC-A.” After finding a hotel in downtown Asheville with Wi-Fi, Isabel received instructions from her parents on how to get out of Asheville safely, as numerous roads were blocked or washed away. Hours later, the group of friends (driving a hybrid with very little gasoline) arrived in Charlotte to meet Isabel’s sister, Mary. Using Mary’s car, they arrived safely in Pittsboro hours later. Isabel, along with sister Mary, became bombarded for many weeks with the tragedy of Helene. It was nightmarish.
Isabel returned to her studies in Asheville a month later, although her apartment had no potable water. Classes were on Zoom—“It was like COVID all over again!” Isabel stated.
Isabel steps back from her life experiences for a moment to thank the SFSF program. She has received scholarships for 2022, 2023, and 2024. “I’m grateful for my SF mentor, Larry Manaugh, who checks in with me and helps me with letters of recommendation,” Isabel said. Also, as Isabel noted, “The scholarship money is very helpful. Fighting cancer is so expensive!”
Nancy Broaddus, president of SFSF, adds: “Isabel’s resilience has been tested in ways that few could imagine. Her strength has always been evident, but the storm pushed her to new limits. Through it all, Isabel’s determination and unwavering spirit remain clear. The Step Forward Scholarship Fund is incredibly proud to have Isabel as a recipient. She exemplifies the perseverance and commitment to overcoming challenges that define our mission.”
What a life has been lived in just twenty-one years.
Mary Helen Killian
Many of us remember Robert Frost’s words: “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—/I took the one less traveled by/And that has made all the difference.”
Mary Killian has taken the road less traveled.
Both Mary and her sister Isabel began life on the same road. Mary went to a Montessori school from preschool through seventh grade, then moved to Hawbridge school, three grades below Isabel. The two were peas in a pod, sharing outdoor experiences at Hawbridge as well as friends.
Then, COVID hit Mary’s life in 9th grade, and school went completely online. At the same time, Isabel spent a gap year at home or in UNC clinics, managing her leukemia treatments. Mary’s network of friends vanished during this time, and she effectively became a “shadow child.”
The term “shadow child,” coined by author/attorney Randall Beach, refers to the sibling in a family who is not ill. As Mary described, “When Isabel got diagnosed, no one told me at first, but it was my sister who called me when I was waiting anxiously at home.” For a year, Mary spent quite a bit of time by herself, feeling sad and “as if my problems weren’t big enough to talk about.” Mary admits, “I wasn’t the perfect child, but my sister always got As and never stayed out too late.” She then realized that she, Mary, had to strive for herself and not be a shadow child anymore.
So how does the shadow child become confident and take the road less traveled? Mary says that many of her interests today come from her dad, Matt Killian. “Dad had an old Toyota truck that I would work on with him. I’ve never loved reading and writing, as I have a disability kind of like dyslexia. But I can see how to fix things. I love puzzles. And I love being a strong woman. Rock climbing and skateboarding are my things.”
Mary received an SFSF scholarship in 2024, enrolling in a two-year program at Asheville Buncombe Technical Community College. Although the admissions paperwork states that Mary is enrolled in “automotive systems,” she admits that she’s really examining related fields to find her passion. Her coursework thus far includes algebra, industrial wiring, intro to health and safety, intro to engineering, building science, materials and methods, robotics, welding, and blueprints. Additionally, she’s OSHA and forklift certified. After next semester, she will be a certified electrician. “At this point,” says Mary, “I can work on multiple certifications or get an associate’s in Construction Management. I’m thinking about my path—I want to have a ‘big’ resume.”
Mary was well-adjusted in school, becoming her own person and advancing through her coursework. And then came Helene.
Ironically, Mary had left Asheville the day before the heavy rain and winds hit, driving to Charlotte to see friends. The next day, she got a text from Isabel, who by that time had no power, no potable water, and no apparent way out of Asheville. Then, both sisters’ cell phones died. A few days later, Mary’s boyfriend got a call from “Mom” Killian. The dilemma: Isabel and two others were headed to Charlotte in a hybrid car, driving on fumes, as all gas stations in Asheville and nearby were sold out.
The students left Asheville on Saturday at 4:00 pm, stopping in Charlotte for Mary’s car (which had gasoline), and got home to Pittsboro at 11:00 that night. Everyone was safe, but the psychological aftermath of Helene was vivid. Mary could only learn of the devastation through social media. And—no school for how long? Life was on pause. No routine. Were friends safe?
After a month, Mary returned to Asheville-Buncombe Tech, which luckily had experienced no damage. Because the classes were all hands-on, “the school just ‘crash-coursed it,’” Mary said. “We handled five months of coursework in four. I got one B and the rest were As.”
With her eyes on her educational path—the road less taken—Mary talks about the SFSF program. “My mentor, Dr. Sandi Lehrman, has been a big help with my application essays. And the financial help from SFSF is great. We’ve had a lot of expenses the past few years.”
Nancy Broaddus, SFSF president, summarizes it all: "I knew from the moment I met Mary Killian that she was destined to accomplish extraordinary things while charting her own unique path. Her natural aptitude for systems and methods sets her apart, and her coursework is opening doors to exciting opportunities in engineering, construction management, and electrician certification. Mary truly embodies the independence, determination, and forward-thinking values that the Step Forward Scholarship Fund is proud to support."
Mary, stay on that road.
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Step Forward Scholarship Fund, Inc.
P.O. Box 4631
Chapel Hill, NC 27515-4631
[email protected]
Step Forward Scholarship Fund, Inc. is a 501c3 organization. EIN #83-3175469