Leaders in Service

I now work in the principal's office supporting the Associate Principal of Academics in her crucial role of ensuring the quality of instruction, supporting teachers, and promoting student achievement. I am also the Faculty Substitution Coordinator, which was originally a part-time role. My role transitioned to a full-time position for the 2020-2021 school year, due to Loyola's commitment to in-person learning during the pandemic.

We have four daughters: Brooke graduated from Loyola in 2022 and is currently attending the University of Maryland; Lainey graduated in 2024, and just completed her freshman year at the University of Connecticut; Anna will be a junior at Loyola Academy in the fall; and Cara, is entering eighth grade at Wilmette Junior High.

When my youngest daughter was born with Down syndrome in 2012, my family got involved on a much more personal level. The first time I stepped on the Mis campus, it was very emotional because with all the worry and unknowns of raising a child with Down syndrome, I instantly knew she would be ok.

Soon after Cara was born, I joined the Women's Auxiliary Board at Mis and have been a member ever since. I volunteer and (time permitting, with four kids and a full-time job) help at events they run. As a family, we have enjoyed being part of the Outreach Program at Mis, which provides programming (play groups, activities, swimming lessons, and more) for young children with special needs. Cara started swimming at nine months old every Saturday in the Mis pool. She loves to swim and is a great swimmer. Additionally, we have enjoyed volunteering in the bakery at Christmas time and during Candy Days in the spring.

When Cara was three years old, her sisters decided to start a bake sale with their friends, donating all the proceeds to Mis. "Muffins for Mis" began in 2015 and continued for five years until the pandemic. It was amazing to see friends, family, neighbors, and our school community at St. Joe's in Wilmette come together to support a great cause.

Aside from my involvement with my family, about eight years ago, a few LA students proposed starting a Misericordia Club at Loyola Academy. When I learned about it, I knew I wanted to serve as the moderator. This past school year, our club had more than 150 members. Throughout the year, we invite Misericordia residents to our campus for sporting events, theater productions, and a field day. Everyone looks forward to hosting our annual Valentine's Day party at Mis. With plenty of fun activities, games, singing, and dancing, it is a club favorite celebration.

The greatest takeaway I’ve learned over the years, whether with kids at Cara’s school or our students at Loyola, has been realizing that when neurotypical students come together with their peers or adults who have special needs, those with special needs lives are enriched but the greater gift is what those with special needs are doing for their neurotypical peers or our students at Loyola.

Growing up, I wasn't exposed to many children or adults with special needs, and it has been eye-opening to see how kind and unintimidated our students are around the Mis community, once they get involved. Much has been done to raise awareness of people's differences, and I'm so proud when my children or my Mis Club students interact with residents. They are so warm, welcoming, and inclusive.

Time at soup kitchens and working with St. Vincent de Paul and Marillac House were some of the ways we showed our support. In addition to receiving a great education, I also matured, grew as a person, and met some of my closest friends. The Daughters of Charity, notably Sr. Mary Beth, (SMB) Sr. Anne Marie, and Sr. James, made learning at Marillac fun and rewarding.

I have two older sisters who attended Marillac, so I grew up knowing that I wanted to be a Northstar. My relationship with SMB began while I was still in elementary school. My parents were close to the sisters.

As the only student to attend Marillac from my grade school (St. Phillip in Northfield), SMB helped to make the transition easier for me. Throughout high school, she served as my homeroom teacher, English teacher, and Student Council moderator. The Daughters of Charity defied stereotypes. I remember how authentic and welcoming they were. They truly left a mark on me, and on thousands of young women who attended Marillac. They taught us to be leaders and to persevere despite societal pressures or hurdles, to believe in ourselves, and so many other important life lessons. I feel honored to have been educated by SMB and the Daughters of Charity, as they shaped me at a young age to be who I am today!

It was at Marillac that I met Jenny (Litgen) Snyder '90 LdM when I was 14 years old. She continues to be one of my closest and dearest friends, as well as my colleague at Loyola. We studied abroad together, have been in each other's weddings, raised our seven girls together, and now work together. What makes Loyola special is its deep history and broad community. Wherever we are in the world, someone has heard of Loyola Academy. We were recently in Madrid, and someone approached us because they recognized the LA sweatshirt my daughter was wearing.

I recall it feeling like Christmas morning when I woke up the day after the Ramble and saw everything they brought home! The decision to assimilate both schools and create a coed learning environment at Loyola enabled my brother to send his children, my niece and two nephews, to his alma mater.

My oldest daughter was in fifth grade when I began working at Loyola. She participated in the LAPTMS advanced math program and became familiar with the school. She knew she wanted to be a Rambler. Working at Loyola, I feel fortunate to have seen my girls every day at school, know their friends, and be so present for their high school years. Loyola has been a wonderful place for my children to attend high school.

I think we have all been given a gift, having Cara in our family, and have learned the importance of looking out for one another and appreciating people's differences. Cara has opened doors for our entire family. The people we have met, the volunteering we have done together, and the community we are part of have made all of our lives richer.

I also have a different outlook on life because of her. I try not to sweat the small stuff and celebrate all the small victories. She works harder than anyone to meet milestones, and we are blessed because of her. When I announced her unexpected birth diagnosis to friends and family, I said, "God has given us a gift and chosen us to be her family. We will be a better family because of her," and 13 years later, we are.

Being women and men for others is engrained in the overall student learning experience, both in and out of the classroom. My personal journey coupled with my Loyola Academy experience has prepared me to redirect my focus to helping others. When you have experienced any kind of loss, you gain valuable perspective. Sharing my story, I believe, has helped others experiencing similar challenges find the strength to keep going.

Father Jim was credited for bringing LA and other members of the Chicago Catholic League into the Illinois High School Athletic Association which had a major impact on my experience at Loyola. Legendary and decorated Loyola Academy Track and Field Coach Frank Amato inspired so many Ramblers in his six decades as an educator, coach, mentor, and friend. He represented the very best of Loyola Academy and I am grateful for the influence he had in my life. Many friends including, EJ Doyle and the O'Loughlin brothers are also fellow Ramblers who rise to the top of my list.

She selflessly served as my caregiver and my cheerleader, encouraging me through rehabilitation and supporting me in establishing the Brennan Rehabilitation Foundation. My children, also Loyola Academy alumni, have taken an active role in helping me realize the vision of the Foundation—to help people regain hope and independence by supporting them throughout their recovery journey.

 However, the most impactful for me personally is the resilience and fortitude I demonstrated to overcome the challenges I faced over the last decade. It's this strength that led me to establish the Foundation, enabling me to pay it forward and raise funds to support rehabilitation journeys like mine. For this, and so much more, I am truly grateful.

I exist to ensure Ramblers have transformative experiences that complement their academic learning to increase their empathy, faith, and sense of justice. My team helps create powerful encounters that help members of our community believe they belong and they are loved.
My job is to listen to how the Holy Spirit is alive and at work in people's—especially young people's—lives. I can’t believe I get to be a Jesuit school minister during the Francis papacy. It's my dream job.

I loved to study ethics, theology, and scripture, but an academic career did not seem like the right fit for me. I have enjoyed coordinating liturgy, retreats, service, and other spiritual programming that engages both the head and the heart. When I graduated Loyola, I wasn't exactly sure what my career would be in the church as a woman, but I had faith and confidence that God was leading me exactly where I was going to be most needed.
I am so grateful God led me right back home to Loyola. AMDG has always been a meaningful motto to me, but it means so much more to me now. I deeply desire to glorify God through my new role. As I was discerning a call to lay ecclesial ministry in the Roman Catholic Church, I sampled lots of different ministries: parish work, writing for Catholic publications, and working with social service agencies. But I also felt a strong sense I wanted to be a minister and a mom.
So being a school minister tugged on my heart both because I love students' profound spiritual questions and also because I wanted to share my work with my own children. My two daughters plan to attend Loyola. I have spent many hours in prayerful contemplation imagining handing them their diplomas. I can’t wait.

It's still voluntary yet most students choose to make this retreat. Keep an eye out for how we will welcome everyone back to Loyola to celebrate this program that has meant so much to so many.

Grammar school, high school, divinity school, and at every job there has been a member of a women's religious community who has mentored me. These women have a profound—and too often under-recognized—role in building the kingdom of God.

He experienced the joy of learning, the transformative power of doing service, the thrill of cultural exchange, and the horror of nuclear war.
I’m inspired to bring all of my life experience into my ministry to be a woman for others. We're living in a time of profound isolation and loneliness. Nothing could be more important than accompanying others, especially those who struggle for justice and peace in their hearts and homes.

I am very aware as I walk the hall of graduates' photos on the first floor that the administration used to be all Jesuits. Loyola has read the signs of the times and adapted, and our school is stronger for it. I am grateful to have the support of Rev. Gregory J. Ostdiek, SJ. I love Fr. Greg's vision for where we're headed.

In line with White Stork’s commitment to locally-led humanitarian action, we work with a number of national partners. White Stork only delivers to end users—not aid depots—ensuring 100% of donations reach those who need it most. We respond to the demand signal of our Ukrainian partners to support the civilian population, and also provide non-lethal military aid to the front lines. The annual budget of White Stork’s Ukraine operations is approximately $5-8 million USD, inclusive of cash and in kind donations. The geographic footprint of our operations is primarily in the East and South, but changes with Russian military action. White Stork does not abide by the neutrality principle. We only provide aid to Ukraine.

We decided we were going to treat everything else as a distraction and just focus on evacuations and individual first aid kits (IFAKs) because the set of problems was enormous and we would be a mile wide and an inch deep if we decided to do more. While we spun up those two programs, we really decided to stay when the genocide became clear. Women in our evacuation vehicles explained their treatment by Russian forces. It made our blood boil. Any one of us would have reacted the same way.

If you decide you want to do something, you may not get promoted and you may not get the good assignments and you certainly will not be a favorite of your superiors. But you won’t have to compromise yourself. You will be true to your friends and to yourself. And your work might make a difference. To be somebody or to do something. In life there is often a roll call. That’s when you will have to make a decision. To be or to do? Which way will you go?” —Colonel John Boyd, United States Air Force