Mary Geralyn Schollhamer '03 learned how important breast cancer awareness was when she took health with Ms. Dolores Piergentile '70 at St. Catharine's. She made a donation this year to help support breast cancer awareness for the current students to continue Ms. P's legacy.
"When I was a student at SCA, I received comprehensive health education, including how to find tumors on 'dummy' breasts," she says. "It wasn't until I moved away did I realize that my experience was nearly unheard of. Breast cancer education is simply not found in high school curricula. As a result, my friends didn't know how to perform a monthly breast exam nor did they know its importance for women of all ages."
She pointed to the funding as an opportunity to save lives. "When we educate young women, we are not only empowering them, but we are also empowering their loved ones," Mary says. "Students take the information they learn at school home to their families and friends. It's an exponential win for all women."
"There was an entire class about how to check your breasts for lumps," she recalls. "In the past few years, I’ve lost young female friends to breast cancer. I think back to those classes with Ms. P. and wonder how many lives she saved."
Nowadays Mary spreads the word where she can too. She tells the story of her friend Erika. "One of my closest friends, Erika, was diagnosed with stage 3 triple negative breast cancer in 2019. By the time she found the tumor, it was nearly the size of a golf ball. She died a year and a half later at age 36 and left behind two children. I try to share Erika's story with young women I meet. If her story can prevent one loss or heartache, maybe her death won't have been in vain."
Mary says St. Catharine's had a huge impact on her life. "In a period of our lives when there's so much insecurity, SCA offered a safe space for young women to simply be themselves. You can tell a woman went to SCA when you meet her because all graduates have an authentic confidence - one that says 'I am here and I have value.' I look back now and realize what a special experience it was."