Working in marketing and communications at Mayfield Senior School, I am often drawn to data on the power of a girls’ school. From allowing girls to be themselves to nurturing higher aspirations, research shows that girls’ schools are places where community, leadership, and innovation flourish.

As an Alum of Mayfield Senior School, I believe that the Holy Child educational philosophy takes it a step further, empowering students to unlock their potential and to enact their faith and love by transforming the world with their God-given gifts. Grounding our education in the celebration of God’s presence, students are challenged to not just excel, but to find their purpose in something larger than themselves.

This is supported throughout the Holy Child goals, and I think it begins with Goal 6, which calls us to “create a learning climate based on trust and reverence for the dignity and uniqueness of each person”. When a teacher affirms the uniqueness of the whole child, they create the space for that student to explore, embrace, develop, and share their unique characteristics and gifts, while also recognizing and celebrating the talents and abilities of others.

As a student at Mayfield, I was always pushing the boundaries of assignments. The most memorable instance of this was a project I did on the life of Cornelia Connelly for Sr. Barbara’s, SHCJ, Theology Seminar. Instead of creating a poster board like the assignment called for, I chose to bring up my artwork from the art studio and said that instead of repeating the story of Cornelia’s life, I wanted to show the living proof of her vision in action today. Instead of condemning my deviation from the assignment, Sr. Barbara asked me to come to the next faculty meeting to share it with the administration. The success of that project was the culmination of four years of Holy Child educators giving me the freedom to think outside of the box and affirm my creativity.

As my self-confidence grew, so did my love for learning. I will never forget sitting in US Women’s History with Dr. Anne Hartifeld ‘77 studying social science from a female perspective for the first time. Not only did I learn about the many forgotten trailblazers who paved the way for women in the United States, I also was challenged to think about my roles and responsibilities as a woman today. From the importance of voting to continuing to fight for the dignity of all people, I walked away from that class with a newfound sense of purpose.

Today, I have the opportunity to witness this from a new perspective. This summer, I sat down with two educators teaching in our Mayfield Advantage Summer Program for incoming 9th-grade students who both shared their perspectives on preparing students for Mayfield. Although one taught math and the other English, they both shared the same goal: to make the students feel comfortable making mistakes and to express themselves. Learning is a vulnerable process, and we often learn best when we are wrong. After teaching the same courses last summer, they shared that they already saw a noticeable difference in the students who participated in the Mayfield Advantage last year, noting that on the first day of school, they were quick to branch out and make their peers feel more comfortable in the classroom.

Just today, I took a call with a student about her research internship and was blown away by her story. Wanting to work in a biology lab to learn how research can be used to help people and improve their lives, she found in the footnotes of a 5-year old site that a local professor at a prestigious university had at one point taken high school interns. After writing to the professor and being turned down, she showed up to the professor's lab 4 times with her resume to persuade her otherwise. The teacher was so impressed with her tenacity and persistence, that she finally sat down, read her resume, and asked when she could start. The student later shared that she believed going into it that she probably did not have the best experience as a high school student, but that she knew if she showed her character, that people would take a chance on her.

Girls’ schools work to meet the needs of girls, and Holy Child schools work to meet the needs of the whole person, therefore, empowering them to discover a love of learning, a lifelong commitment to service, a strong sense of self, a joyful spirit, and true respect for the inherent worth of every human being. I feel fortunate to have experienced first-hand as a student and feel even more blessed to work alongside Holy Child educators as a professional to help guide and empower the next generation of change makers.