News at St. Catherine's
Career Day 2016
Alumnae visited St. Catherine's during Reunion Weekend to talk with Upper School students.
It was one moment – an aha moment that led Brooke Sydnor Curran ’86 to her life’s calling. Curran kicked off Career Day 2016 by addressing all of the Upper School students in the chapel. Students then broke into sessions to listen to individual speakers. Each year during Reunion Weekend alumnae return to campus to inspire Upper School students on Career Day.
Curran is the Founder and CEO of RunningBrooke, a non-profit based in Alexandria, Va. She told the girls about leaving St. Catherine’s unsure of what she wanted to do with her life. So she took the traditional expected route – go to college, get a job, get married and have kids. But it just didn’t feel right.
One day Curran locked eyes with a fellow working mom who looked exhausted in her work uniform after a long day of work. Curran knew what she needed to do. She knew she needed to help others. It was then she started RunningBrooke, which champions at-risk kids by funding local non-profits whose programs provide: early childhood education, playgrounds and child well-being programs, advocacy, and collaboration to build a community–wide movement.
Suddenly, the School motto “What we keep we lose; only what we give remains our own” finally made sense to Curran. She encouraged the Upper School girls to find that meaning to the motto earlier in their lives.
In addition to Curran, the other Career Day Speakers speakers:
• Frances Carrington Gravely ’66, Founder, VIETRI, Inc., Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Carolyn Mackintosh ’71, Equestrienne, Farmer, Event Promoter at The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm, Adamstown, Md.
• Dr. Susan Goodale ’76, Pediatrician, Central and Priority Pediatrics, St. Paul, Minn.
• Virginia Cox Evans ’81, LCSW, Director and Psychotherapist, Pathways Center for Eating Disorders, Louisville
• Welby Whiting Fairlie ’81, Southeast Regional Manager, International Student Exchange, Williamsburg
• Sara Ruffin Costello ’86, writer, decorator, editor, design consultant, New Orleans
• Andrea Dew Steele ’86, Founder and President, Emerge America, San Francisco
• Dr. Vanessa Howells ’91, Instructor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical Director, Preschool Clinical Programs, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore
• Cary Jamieson ’91, Director, Bryan Innovation Lab, The Steward School, Richmond
• Janica Barnett ’96, JD, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Feinstein IBD Clinical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
• Louise Irwin Welch ’96, Head of Learning and Development Technology, Google, Inc., Mountain View, Calf.
• Becca Broughton ’01, Yoga teacher, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tenn.
• Britt Childs Staley ’01, Marketing Manager, WestRock, Richmond
• Ginny Sutton Turner ’01, Head Field Hockey Coach, Davidson College, Charlotte, N.C.
• Nancy Gottwald ’06, Owner, Manager and Buyer, Nellie George, Richmond
• Tiffany Jones ’06, Technical Designer, SPANX, Atlanta
• Rachel Boykin ’11, B.S. Psychology, Registered Behavior Technician, Chester
• Kristen Wolenberg ’11, Media Services Specialist, Merkle, Inc., Charlottesville
Curran is the Founder and CEO of RunningBrooke, a non-profit based in Alexandria, Va. She told the girls about leaving St. Catherine’s unsure of what she wanted to do with her life. So she took the traditional expected route – go to college, get a job, get married and have kids. But it just didn’t feel right.
One day Curran locked eyes with a fellow working mom who looked exhausted in her work uniform after a long day of work. Curran knew what she needed to do. She knew she needed to help others. It was then she started RunningBrooke, which champions at-risk kids by funding local non-profits whose programs provide: early childhood education, playgrounds and child well-being programs, advocacy, and collaboration to build a community–wide movement.
Suddenly, the School motto “What we keep we lose; only what we give remains our own” finally made sense to Curran. She encouraged the Upper School girls to find that meaning to the motto earlier in their lives.
In addition to Curran, the other Career Day Speakers speakers:
• Frances Carrington Gravely ’66, Founder, VIETRI, Inc., Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Carolyn Mackintosh ’71, Equestrienne, Farmer, Event Promoter at The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm, Adamstown, Md.
• Dr. Susan Goodale ’76, Pediatrician, Central and Priority Pediatrics, St. Paul, Minn.
• Virginia Cox Evans ’81, LCSW, Director and Psychotherapist, Pathways Center for Eating Disorders, Louisville
• Welby Whiting Fairlie ’81, Southeast Regional Manager, International Student Exchange, Williamsburg
• Sara Ruffin Costello ’86, writer, decorator, editor, design consultant, New Orleans
• Andrea Dew Steele ’86, Founder and President, Emerge America, San Francisco
• Dr. Vanessa Howells ’91, Instructor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Medical Director, Preschool Clinical Programs, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore
• Cary Jamieson ’91, Director, Bryan Innovation Lab, The Steward School, Richmond
• Janica Barnett ’96, JD, MSN, AGPCNP-BC, Adult Nurse Practitioner, Feinstein IBD Clinical Center, Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
• Louise Irwin Welch ’96, Head of Learning and Development Technology, Google, Inc., Mountain View, Calf.
• Becca Broughton ’01, Yoga teacher, Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Vanderbilt, Nashville, Tenn.
• Britt Childs Staley ’01, Marketing Manager, WestRock, Richmond
• Ginny Sutton Turner ’01, Head Field Hockey Coach, Davidson College, Charlotte, N.C.
• Nancy Gottwald ’06, Owner, Manager and Buyer, Nellie George, Richmond
• Tiffany Jones ’06, Technical Designer, SPANX, Atlanta
• Rachel Boykin ’11, B.S. Psychology, Registered Behavior Technician, Chester
• Kristen Wolenberg ’11, Media Services Specialist, Merkle, Inc., Charlottesville
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
