BEing Themselves and BEing That Well: Viz Alumnae Spotlight November 2023

Mary: No question, it was and is the friendships that were established at Viz and which remain strong today! It is one of the greatest gifts of my life - close friends for more than 50 years.

 

Elizabeth: I would second Mary. Not only in the lifelong friends I made while there but also the lifelong friends I have continued to make with other Viz grads in every area of life, whether home, school, or work. The community is a lifelong community!

 

Laura: I will add to what my colleagues said - the friends I made at Viz are my lifelong friends. I started Viz in 1975 when I walked into Sr. Karen Mohan's Core 6 classroom three days after the school year started. (It's a long story.) The students sat alphabetically in class back then, and Christine Tan sat next to me. She helped me with my books, and we ate lunch together. Julie Sutter sat on the other side of Christine. We have been besties all these decades later. These are the women I turn to time after time. I still have friends from college (I married one of them) and law school, but my Viz girls are the true BFFs. The second thing I loved most about Viz was the Salesian

 

Elizabeth: Viz taught me that women can do anything. Spending six years surrounded not only by other classmates but the Sisters and teachers (Mrs. Fitzgerald) who constantly pushed us to develop our own ideas and our own opinions, independent of what we see or hear from others, has been invaluable as both an attorney and as a judge. One of the first actions I took as presiding judge was to appoint all female chairs to each of the court's committees. I have learned that taking repeated small steps towards advancing women in the profession or life can lead to long-term changes.

 

Laura: First, I learned how to write thanks to Sr. Karen, Mrs. Ivers, and Sr. Marie Therese. Mrs. Jeanne Dressel also did not hesitate to go to bat for us when we wanted to start a school newspaper - the Paper Moon. Viz also participated in the 1818 program, so I entered Mizzou as a sophomore. I obtained my Bachelor of Journalism degree from the best journalism school in the country in three years because of Viz. I wanted to then go to law school, which is another three years. Saving that extra year of time and tuition expedited the start of my career. I was twenty when I graduated from j-school and twenty-three when I graduated from law school. I really feel I had an advantage because of Viz. Viz made me disciplined. At Mizzou, it would have been easy to slack off or skip class. No one would have noticed. That discipline was critical because in college, your grade depends on one mid-term exam and one final exam. You simply must keep up with the work on a daily basis; otherwise, you WILL fail.

 

Mary: Enjoy your life! Do not worry about the future; it will take care of itself. All things really do work together for good, even when you cannot see it. Go after your dreams with all you have, and take good care of yourself and those around you.

 

Elizabeth: "Be who you are and be that well." St. Francis de Sales - In a world where young women are flooded with images and ideas of who they are supposed to be, what they are supposed to look like, and what they are supposed to achieve, take the time while at Viz to find out instead who you are - what interests you have, what goals you have, what achievements you want to reach, and lean on all those around you to help to discover and develop that. The "be that well" part is a lifelong path with ups and downs, but I have found if you are satisfied with yourself, you will continue to try and achieve all that you can in whatever it is you choose to do.

 

Laura: This is the advice I give to everyone - Viz students, recent law school graduates who show up at the court, anybody of any age.