Sue Dufault ’79

Jaylin Lacasse ’24 experienced a tremendous sense of accomplishment and joy recently walking across the stage at commencement. It was a crowning moment to four years of hard work and making the most of the opportunities afforded by an Assumption education.

“I felt on top of the world,” Jaylin says. “I felt like anything was possible now.”

But the thrill she got from graduating as a Greyhound almost didn’t happen.

A political science and philosophy major who enjoys examining life’s enduring questions, Jaylin had been thriving in the company of friends at Assumption when her financial situation changed. Her educational expenses were beyond her ability to pay, and she faced the reality of having to leave the University.

“I was upset to have to leave my friends, my teachers and the campus that I called home,” she says. “Assumption is a special place, and I couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.”

Thanks to the generosity of the Dufault family, she didn’t have to.

Help arrived in the form of The Dufault Family Scholarship, which was established in 1996 and enhanced through an estate gift.

“I got to stay at Assumption,” Jaylin says. “And I graduated with little to no debt. Now, I’m looking forward to law school, and I am so very grateful for the help I received.”

Dufault Family Scholarship

According to Sue Dufault ’79, the assistance offered to Jaylin is exactly what her family envisioned when they made the gift. Their Assumption educations, relationships and experiences, including at Assumption Prep, shaped their lives for the better, she says, and it set Dufault family members up for success. The decision to include Assumption in estate plans was viewed as a way to give back.

Dr. Francis Dufault ’48, her father, shared that sentiment, as did his uncle, Assumptionist Father Wilfrid Dufault A.A. ’29, and many other members of the family. “There is a strong desire to continue taking take care of Assumption after we pass.”

“The inspiration is to ensure that new generations of Assumption students have the same opportunities and life-changing experiences that we did,” she says. “It’s an extension of a proud family legacy.”

Annual Endowed Scholarship Luncheon

In April, Sue spent time with Jaylin at Assumption’s Endowed Scholarship Luncheon, where Sue represented her family. The annual event provides donors and student recipients a chance to get to know one another, enabling benefactors to see firsthand the impact their generosity has on students.

“My father and his brothers started this scholarship many years ago, and I couldn’t have been more honored to know that the Dufault scholarship played an important role in Jaylin’s remaining time at Assumption,” she says. “Jaylin is an exceptional student and extraordinary human being. I’m very proud we could be there for her.”

Jaylin offers high praise of her own.

“Because of Sue and the Dufault family, I found the deeper meaning in life, that comes from receiving an Assumption Catholic liberal education,” she says. “And I am extremely grateful for that.”

Including Assumption in Your Estate Plans

To help more students like Jaylin by including Assumption in your estate plans, please call Melanie Demarais at 508-767-7332, or send her an email at demarais@assumption.edu.