Page 16 - Priorities #10 1999-July

WPS’s First Female Grads Don College Caps and Gowns
Maura Ambron
In May, 1995, a new era dawned for the Priory. Graduates in dresses accepted their diplomas and entered the world as the school’s first female alumni. Thisspring,severalaregraduatingfromcollege. These eleven courageous risk-takers enrolled after the monks, faculty, students, parents, trustees and alumni spent years preparing for the Priory’s transition to a co-ed institution.
“We felt we were making the right decision as we entered the last decade of the century,” recalled Father MartinMager,DirectorofAlumniRelations. “Yet,I think we all wondered if we could make a radical change withoutmajorcomplications. Whatastoundedmewasthat the imagined complications never materialized.”
The first female students received attention and publicity. Theyattendedawelcomingteapartyandfashion showinLouiseM.Davies’sgarden. Whenclassesstarted, the female students jumped into all facets of student life, including sports, campus activities, publications and government. Fr.Martinexpressedhisgratitudeforthe “fine senior male students who maintained a positive attitude and who helped ensure the success of the co-ed program.” He remains thankful that the male students didn’t ridicule him for modeling Gap shorts at the fashion show.
This spring, many of the Priory’s first female alumni became alumni of various colleges and universities.
Sara Schmidt
Although Sara Schmidt doesn’t know where she’ll be this fall, she does know that she’ll pursue a Master’s degree in Social Welfare with a concentrationonAging. SaragraduatedinMayfrom Occidental College in Los Angeles with a major in AnthropologyandaminorinHistory. Hervolunteer work at a convalescent home during her undergraduate career influenced her choice of graduatestudy. Sara’sadventuresatOccidental included spending her junior year in the Aboriginal
program in Perth, Western Australia.
“During my four years at the Priory, I gained so
much respect for people of different faiths, as well as nationalitiesandethnicgroups,”Saraadded. “The ability to have an open mind and to be willing to learnaboutothersisaninvaluabletrait. Iwouldtell anyone going to college to be open to new experiencesandpeople. Somethingimportantcanbe gained from every encounter with another individual.”
Elaine Middleman
Biological research and teaching defined Elaine Middleman’s journey through the University of California,SanDiego. ElainefinishedinJunewitha degreeinMolecularBiology. Shecompletedher honors thesis research in a new lab that studies developmental pathways of Dictyostelium, a cellular slime mold.
“The life cycle of Dictyostelium involves both unicellular and multicellular stages,” Elaine explained. “Mostorganismsareoneortheotherand cannotmovebetweenthetwo.” Ifscientistscan understand how the mold works, perhaps they can also shed light on other organisms, including humans, Elaine said
Over two summers, Elaine completed an internship at and was an employee of a laboratory thatstudiestheHumanCytomegalovirus. This common herpes virus causes some forms of eye disease and is a problem for people who are immune suppressed.
“Working on both these projects gave me a chance to experience the day-to-day life of a research scientist,”Elainesaid. “Iwillbebetterinformed when I decide whether or not to attend graduate school.”
Elaine left the microscope long enough to intern
Dora Arredondo
Katherine Calvache
Claudine Chow
Caitlin Kane
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Photos taken from the 1995 WPS yearbook.