Founder's Day Fun

Hi everyone!


Although not a lot of time has passed since my last post, a whole bunch of stuff has happened! The biggest thing that comes to mind was Founder's Day and the mass that happens. Founder's Day happens every year, and is an event where we honor the twelve sisters that founded St. Mary's as well as alumnae. Starting from the class that graduated fifty years ago, women came who graduated in 1966, 1956, 1946, and even 1936! I was volunteering for the event with Ambassadors, and had the job of checking coats and pinning the flowers onto their blouses and jackets. It may not seem like a huge job, but it was so rewarding to be able to meet all the women as they walked into the library and reunited with people from their class that were also attending. They were all so unbelievably happy to be back at the school that impacted their lives, and it was amazing to hear their stories of their own experiences here. Moving into the mass, we celebrated the alumnae by clapping as they entered the auditorium and as they exited. They were all so grateful, and it was very powerful to have such wonderful ladies come back to our school. It was definitely an experience I'll never forget.


Something I learned from these alumnae was to pay attention to the little moments and to hold them close to my heart. Time flies.


And, finally, here is my inspirational quote for the post:
"If Plan A fails, remember you have 25 letters left."


See you next time,
Bryn '17

Full Swing

Happy Friday everyone!

We are officially into the full swing of things here at SMA, with Open House, Frosh Immersion, the SAT, and college applications becoming a reality. Everyone's schedules are finalized and people are settling into their classes, as the school takes a collective sigh moving forward. Something important happening recently has been the Open House for Ambassadors, where I had been working with other girls equally passionate about SMA and everything we have to offer. Thankfully, the Open House went off without a hitch, and all the girls had a great time showing everyone around!
Moving from Open House, Frosh Immersion has been a big thing on everyone's minds. Frosh Immersion is an awesome experience that you can be a part of your Freshmen year here at St. Mary's where you work in groups with other girls, leaders, and teachers to walk around downtown Portland to connect to the homeless community around us. It is an immensely rewarding experience, visiting amazing organizations that do great work. Right now, a lot of my friends are training to help lead the Freshmen around downtown, and it is so inspiring to see them working to try and make the younger students' experience as great as their own.
The biggest thing for me, however, has been retaking the SAT and really getting into the college application swing. Although the idea of taking the SAT used to really scare me, I realized after taking it for the first time that it really isn't as bad as it seems. Definitely nothing to stress over too much - colleges look at way more than just your test scores! It's been reaffirming to go through this process with girls who support each other as we paddle through the ocean that is college application season.

Therefore, as we move forward through the beginning of the school year, I would like to impart my slightly, maybe, valid advice:

"A positive attitude may not solve all your problems, but it will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort."
- Herm Albright

See you next time,
Bryn '17