For the second year in row, JFLI hosted this UN trip as a way to provide an authentic leadership experience for SHA students interested in government, international relations, public policy, and women's rights. JFLI Director Emily Karem believes that participating in the Commission on the Status of Women was a formative experience for these students: "Being exposed to some of the most pressing issues facing women and girls is a huge step toward helping them discover how they can use their leadership to make positive change. When young leaders see the world more clearly, they begin to imagine how it could be better."
While in the New York, students had the opportunity to meet with students from other Ursuline schools in the Ursuline Education Network: Saint Ursula Academy in Cincinnati, Ohio; Ursuline Academy of New Orleans; The Ursuline School in New Rochelle, NY, and the Academy of Mt. Ursula in the Bronx, NY. SHA students also attended Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, and walked through Rockefeller Center Plaza, Times Square, Central Park, and the 9/11 Memorial.
Students also had breakfast with four Sacred Heart Academy alumnae who currently live and work in New York. Thanks to Emily Kosse Baumann '14 (Senior Digital Content Manager at Ralph Lauren), Madeline Dougherty '13 (Senior Manager, Digital Media at Gucci), Catherine Kosse Moss '12 (Senior Manager, Consulting at PwC), and Blair Donovan '13 (Digital Director, House Beautiful) for answering the current students' questions about life in the big city. Our graduates continue to set the bar high, making a big impact on the next generation of Valkyries as they begin to navigate their future college and career path choices.
By exposing these students to high-level leadership at the UN and participating in the Commission on the Status of Women's programs to promote women's rights, gender equality, female empowerment, and inclusive and equitable laws, this educational trip demonstrates SHA's and JFLI's mission to educate globally-minded, compassionate leaders.
