Whenever I bring a college friend into my dorm room, the first thing they say is "What's with all these pictures?" And, I smile and answer, "Oh, those are from my high school." See, my room is a shrine to my all-girls Catholic high school. Settled beautifully on top of a hill, my high school, which really resembles a college, is my favorite place on earth. My photos from graduation, dressed in white gowns, or my senior day clothed in only the color purple, are scattered all over my dorm room as a constant reminder not only of the school community from which I came, but for the life lessons my Sacred Heart community taught and the place in my heart it will always have.

Most people think that an all-girls school is filled with drama and gossip, but, on the contrary, my time at my all girls school at Sacred Heart Greenwich taught me the values of sisterhood, charity, and community.

Sacred Heart taught me the value of giving back to the community that has welcomed you. From giving back to the Sacred Heart community throughout high school, to tutoring under-privileged Dublin students in Ireland, and more, I have carried through with me the value of getting involved in a community and giving back in thanks of the many blessings I have. I thank Sacred Heart-- the faculty, community, and my peers-- for instilling the greatest amount of compassion in my heart. It is something that makes me unique and brings joy into my daily life.

If anything, my high school experience gave me the ability to value community, balancing independence and the collective. It taught me that being involved and creating a welcoming environment yields happiness. I continually miss my community back home, but strive daily to make my college community as cohesive and welcoming as it was in high school.

Lastly, I have 74 sisters from the Class of 2017. Girls who inspire me, challenge me, support me, but most of all, love me for my greatest strengths and my worst weaknesses. These girls know me better than I know myself. I am in constant communication with many of them, even now as our paths differ. Our sisterhood, the biggest gift my high school gave me, allows me to walk through life side-by-side with the best friends a girl could ask for. My 'sisters' are my inspiration. They exemplify the greatest poise, grace, and generosity that I have ever seen. They are the leaders of tomorrow, the women who will rule our generation and create a global change. They are the future mothers of the next generation, who will raise children to be as kind and loving as they are. Our sisterhood is one that we each value in different ways, but will last forever.

To my sisters, both my 74 fellow graduates and all those who came before me and after me, I urge you to recognize the gift we share in the community, compassion, and sisterhood that we are essential parts of. It is not until you are out that you begin to realize how special, amazing, and unusual such an interconnected and loving community is. I love each of you for who you are, for the good and bad, and know you will do such great things in the years to come. It is in reflecting on my time with you that I remember and revitalize my commitment to living a life according to the values instilled in us throughout our time at Sacred Heart.

So when someone asks me what the pictures are from, and I answer, I will remember just why I am blessed to call myself an alumni of this strong community.