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Note From the Head of School By Lauren Lek, Head of School
We Miss You!
Dear Alumnae,
As women, we are so often pulled in such a myriad of different directions, that finding time to reconnect, spend time with friends, and celebrate the stories of our past can sometimes get pushed to the back burner. Just recently, however, at one of our student hosted Culinary Club dinners with Mary Mickelson 60, I was reminded of the power of our female friendships, many of which were fostered here at OLP.
Based on a survey sent out to alumnae earlier this year, we have heard a call from many of you suggesting new ways of allowing alumnae to connect, strengthen our unity, and return to campus. OLP is thrilled to announce that starting Fall 2016, we will be moving to an Alumnae Reunion Weekend. This two-day event will include festivities and ample opportunities to reconnect on our beloved campus. In addition to celebrating special reunion milestones, alumnae will have the chance to reunite with cherished classmates, treasured teachers, CSJ Sisters all on our picturesque campus.
The 2016 Alumnae Weekend will be hosted on Friday, August 12, 2016 and Saturday, August 13, 2016, and it will honor alumnae in classes ending in "6" and "1." All alumnae are welcome to join in the festivities and celebrations alongside their fellow sisters (see below for full details and a breakdown of events and times).
Whether it's been 50, 15, or just a year since you last stepped onto your historical campus, we invite you to come celebrate once again in the spirit of the mission of unifying love from the Sisters of St. Joseph. We learn so much in being together. We encourage you to join in community, to engage in your sister's company, and to visit with your alma mater and her progress.
The reunion weekend opens on Friday, August 12th with a hosted reception alongside current seniors, the Class of 2017, campus tours to follow, and then a sensational co-ed evening on North Terrace. The following morning, begin your day with Mass in the Chapel, a special honoring for those alumnae who have passed away, and a Ladies Only Champagne Brunch where we will honor the 2016 recipient of the Sr. Claire Patrice Fitzgerald 56 Alumna of the Year award. We will be looking to partner with each reunion class Chair to determine special ways of honoring those celebrating their milestones.
We will continue hosting the 50th Golden Jubilee alongside the graduating seniors at Commencement. This year the class of 1966 will be here at OLP with our class of 2016.
Please refer to the Alumnae section of the Academy's website, www.aolp.org, for more details on times, speakers, discounted hotel rates for those traveling, associate entertainment partners, the complete agenda as it becomes available, and of course to RSVP!
We are honored to welcome you back to campus and excited to have this time to celebrate OLP together!
Gratefully Yours,
Lauren Lek
Head of School
Last Chance to RSVP for Regional Reconnects in Boston & New York!
Our OLP Alumnae Regional Reconnects are this weekend and we would love to see you! Join together with fellow alumnae to catch up, network, make new connections regionally and have a genuine evening of fun. You will also learn more about what is new with your alma mater and the amazing new programs in the works for OLP.
Come enjoy an evening gathering with OLP friends and the new Head of School, Lauren Lek and Assistant Head of School, Jessica Hooper. Click here to RSVP online.
Boston:
Friday, Feb. 5, 2016 5:00 p.m.
Minot Room on the 5th floor
of the Countway Library at Harvard Medical, 10 Shattuck St., Boston
New York City:
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016 7:00p.m.
Pier 15, East River Waterfront Esplanade, South and Fletcher Streets, Manhattan
Join Us At Spring Sing!
All four classes are busily getting ready for Spring Sing 2016. The theme this year is: Streets! The Freshmen are dancing down Canal Street in New Orleans, the Sophomores are busy trading on Wall Street, the Juniors are taking a ride down Pacific Coast Highway, and the Seniors are having "Nightmares on Elm Street!" If you come to OLP any afternoon, you can hear the voices of all four classes busily rehearsing for the performances on February 26th and 27th.
We invite all of our alumnae to join us and hope to see you all at the historic Balboa Theater for OLP's 45th Annual Spring Sing! Click here to purchase your tickets today. Please contact Mrs. Herb at [email protected] for any ticket questions. We'll see you there!
Alumna of the Year Awards Cocktail Reception
The Academy of Our Lady of Peace invites you to join us for our Alumna of the Year Awards. This evening will serve as the kick-off cocktail reception for the OLPWS. Panelists and speakers will be joining us at the event for networking and mingling, and to recognize 3 outstanding alumnae! Don't miss this exclusive opportunity to connect and network with prominent OLP alumnae.
We are excited to announce the recipients of the Sr. Claire Patrice Fitzgerald 56 Alumna of the Year Award: Sara McKinney 07 | Rachel McKinney 04 | Amy (McKinney) Potter 02
Thursday, March 17, 2016
5:00-7:00 p.m. at Academy of Our Lady of Peace
5:00 p.m. Reception on North Terrace
6:00 p.m. Welcome by Head of School
6:15 p.m. Presentation of Awards by 2013 Award Recipient, Marguerite Terry Sorgi Camarata 77
$35 per person: includes a $15 donation to your choice of: Scholarship Fund or Historical Preservation Fund
$20 recent graduate (Classes of 2010-2015)
Package price for both Alum of the Year Awards Cocktail Reception & OLPWS: $70
Click here to learn more and purchase tickets.
We also invite the OLP community to participate in the nomination process for the Alumna of the Year award for 2016. Click here to make a nomination today!
OLP Alumnae Weekend Details
OLP is thrilled to announce that starting Fall 2016, we will be moving to an Alumnae Reunion Weekend. Alumnae of ALL years are invited to attend the festivities, which will celebrate alums with grad years ending a "6" or a "1".
OLP Alumnae Weekend: Tickets Here
Friday, August 12, 2016
Hosted Reception with Members of the Class of 2017
Welcome Remarks by Head of School Lauren Lek
Continental Breakfast
11:00 am | Carondelet Library and North Terrace
Campus Tours by Carondelet Circle Student Ambassadors
12:00 pm
ASB Student Government and Council of Ten Reconnect with Mrs. Handelsman
12:00 pm | Carondelet Parlor
Return to campus for the Co-Ed Endless Summer Event
Live Band, Beer and Wine Bar, Beer Tasting and More!
$35 Tickets | 5:30 pm | North Terrace
Saturday, August 13, 2016
Alumnae Mass
Special Honoring for Alumnae Who Have Passed Away 10:00 am | OLP Chapel
Ladies Champagne Brunch
Alumna of the Year Recognition & Class Pictures $30 Tickets | 11:00 am | North Terrace
Another Chance for Campus Tours by Carondelet Circle Students 12:30 pm
Individual class-specific celebrations taking place off campus that evening.
Classes Celebrating Reunions
All classes and alumnae are welcome to attend the festivities. Special classes celebrating reunions are as follows. . . 194175th 194670th 195165th 195660th 196155th 196650th 197145th 197640th 198135th 198630th 199125th 199620th 200115th 200610th 20115th
Alumnae Profile: Q & A with Emi Koch '07
1. What did you learn at OLP that gave you the confidence to travel the world and start your own organization?
OLP empowered me with the confidence to travel the world and start my own organization through a social service trip to Tijuana, Mexico. I signed up for the trip for the social aspect (because my friends were going) but the experience completely shifted my world perspective, popped the little bubble I was living in. It forced me outside my comfort zone and and I've never been able to get back inside. I remember standing in a garbage dump that was also a community where people lived, and looking back across the US-Mexico border at downtown San Diego. My entire life, I had lived just over there beyond this landfill and never once had given any thought nor inquiry about the living conditions on the other side of the fences. I was greatly impacted by the resiliency and dignity of the local residents of the landfill. The trip was one experience which ignited fire inside me for social justice and human rights that has since driven me forward.
On campus, I believe I developed the tools necessary to engage with the life experiences you are faced with outside those pristine white walls.
2. Did you learn any particular lessons during your time at OLP that helped you get where you are today?
Yes, I discovered that math was most definitely not my strong suit and perhaps a career in the creative arts and humanities would be better. I also understood that building relationships with both peers and mentors was both a skill and a privilege. I also figured out that in a world full of superficialities, people really appreciate genuine actions.
3. How do you use what you learned at OLP to succeed in your current career?
At OLP, I discovered how to juggle homework and extracurricular assignments with my own adolescence and pursuing professional surfing. Learning how to do this (through trial and error) not only made university doable but also life today, managing my nonprofit and our fiscally-sponsored projects while grant-writing, facilitating workshops, earning extra cash here and there, traveling, filmmaking, surfing, and attempting to have a social life.
4. Any particular teacher or class that impacted you to this day during your time at OLP?
I took a creative writing class at OLP where our first day of class, Mrs. Turner hung a world map on the wall, upside down. Mind. Blown. She taught us how to view the ordinary in an extraordinary way. Also, I vividly remember my Peer Counseling class when Ms. Teal shared with us the astounding fact that if the world was comprised into a village of 100 people, only one of those individuals would have a college education and access to a computer. I will never forget that. At the time, I wasn't considering going to college. I just wanted to be a professional surfer (as I realized I was better at wave-riding than algebra). However, upon hearing this statistic, I felt that I had an absolute responsibility as the one person in my village with the opportunity to go to college and access to a computer, to not only earn my university degree but make sure I used it in such a way that the 99 other villagers would have their fundamental human rights met also.
5. Any advice for OLP students or grads who want to start a nonprofit?
Do you want to experience sleepless nights, living hand-to-mouth, staying in grant-writing while your friends are out, rejection…while also experiencing complete, undeniable bliss, overwhelming moments of creativity, encounters with incredibly courageous individuals, in addition to getting to know yourself on a whole new level? Definitely, starting a nonprofit is not for the faint of heart. Many of my colleagues equate it to having a teenager. It takes a lot of work, but it is so worth it. I wouldn't trade those all-nighters or stressful situations for anything. Those have lead me to pure, untainted, grassroots happiness, love, and peace. If you're up for the challenge and also have something you are seriously passionate about (because you will be tested to the 299240129 degree), then I'd say go for it and I'm available by email if I can provide some support in any way.
To learn more about Emi's nonprofit and fiscally-sponsored initiatives, visit www.beyondthesurfaceinternational.org and www.coast2coastproject.org.
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