Exceptional Seniors
Alma Bravo
Maricruz Cárdenas
Catherine Cleary
Christine Hendershot
Rebecca Marie Jones
Elizabeth Maltby
Alma Bravo Alma Bravo
South Bend, Indiana
Major: Social work
Minor: Spanish
Every morning Alma Bravo makes the Sign of the Cross and asks God to guide her. “I try to live by the concept of encomendarse a Dios: entrusting yourself to God,” she says. “This was instilled in me as a child. Starting the day out like that has really helped me even in the most challenging times.”
But Bravo does not avoid challenges. She seeks them out as a social work major and volunteer who has logged more than 600 hours serving local causes during the last four years. She worked with others at their most vulnerable: teenage mothers struggling to finish high school; families affected by job loss and adjusting to the newness of poverty; disadvantaged children unable to keep up in the classroom.
Among her many activities were working as a teaching assistant for the College Academy of Tutoring with primary students who spoke English as a second language, and with La Casa de Amistad, a nonprofit that serves Hispanics, where she was named Volunteer of the Year for her work with the food bank, interpretation services, and other programs. As a senior she also won the Kristi Morris Award in social work.
Faith guides her actions: “It's Christ's greatest commandment to love others the way you love yourself," she says.
Regina Wilson, assistant director of Campus Ministry, has gotten to know Bravo through a number of venues, including a ministry with Latina students. “Alma is very mature and knows herself well,” Wilson says. “She is generous, intelligent, thoughtful, and very patient—an impressive woman to say the least.”
Bravo plans to earn her master’s in social work at Indiana University South Bend. She’ll attend classes part time and work full time to gain more work experience.
She is grateful for the confidence and self-knowledge she has developed at Saint Mary’s. “I have a deeper firmness in who I am, and I attribute this to my professors, my peers, and myself,” she says. “My professors for empowering me through their knowledge and openness; my peers for being themselves and being open to who I am; and myself for being willing to discover who I am during these four years.”
Maricruz Cárdenas Maricruz Cárdenas
Bronson, Michigan
Major: Spanish
Minor: Secondary education, English as a second language, and intercultural studies
Maricruz Cárdenas is certain God led her to Saint Mary’s. The support she received from the campus community brought her through her darkest hour and gave her strength to excel. “During my first semester, I lost my brother to the violence in Mexico,” she says. “I wondered if I could stay in school. I questioned my faith.”
But she was persuaded to stay, and even participated in Campus Ministry’s Mexico Pilgrimage shortly after her brother’s death. “It allowed me to understand that faith is greater than death. It helped heal my wounds and strengthen my faith.”
It was also a homecoming: Cárdenas was born in Guanajuato and moved to Michigan at 11. “I did not speak English, but I was a very competitive student,” she says. “Transitioning to a different country and not being able to communicate or complete assignments was very frustrating. But I learned English.”
She discovered other students were not offered the same opportunities. In college Cárdenas volunteered in a bilingual elementary school class. “But the class was not bilingual—there were only Hispanic students and the teacher did not know Spanish,” she says. “Why would they call it bilingual?” Wanting to address such questions, Cárdenas enrolled in Saint Mary’s education program.
During her four years at Saint Mary’s, Cárdenas participated in Diversity Dialogues with the city of South Bend; attended the National Conference of Race and Ethnicity; received an Indiana Community Grant to encourage Latino students to pursue higher education; and was named Outstanding Future Educator by the Indiana Association of Colleges for Teacher Education.
“Mari demonstrates that commitment, resolve, and perseverance will overcome the lack of a smooth and easy path,” says Julie Storme, chair of modern languages. “She will show students that it is possible to reach their dreams even in the face of obstacles.”
Cárdenas would like to teach in an inner-city school. “I want to let students know they are valuable even if the world tells them otherwise,” she says. “I believe my experience can be an example of a struggle that was successfully overcome.”
Catherine Cleary Catherine Cleary
Fridley, Minnesota
Major: Student-designed major in women’s studies
Minors: Spanish and sociology
Like generations of Belles before her, Catherine Cleary looks back at herself over four years and sees a different person. “I’m not sure that 18-year-old me would recognize 21-year-old me,” she says.
Nor could that 18-year-old predict the places and experiences that she would visit: shelters for abused women, struggling elementary classrooms, women’s prisons. In response, she organized a women’s hygiene product drive for women inmates; counseled mentally ill and chemically dependent offenders; taught GED classes to ex-offenders; created a workshop to spark underprivileged girls’ interest in science; and created a high school informational program about sexual assault.
Cleary’s honors include the American Association of University Women selecting her for its student advisory council; the College’s Office for Civic and Social Engagement recognizing her service to women; and the College Board of Trustees choosing her as student trustee. Among her on-campus activities, Cleary was a Eucharistic minister, a member of the Belles Against Violence Office, and a member of the Straight and Gay Alliance.
“I am driven by self-confidence, a growing awareness of my own privilege, my Catholic faith, and my faith in humanity,” Cleary says of her endless activism. “Saint Mary’s supported me in developing this awareness. I have come to believe so strongly in the mission of the College and the work we do here.”
Karen Johnson, vice president for student affairs, has worked closely with Cleary. “Cat is an amazing young woman and advocate for women,” Johnson says. “She is dedicated to educating young women about their rights and empowering them to think for themselves. She has been an extraordinary asset to Saint Mary’s.”
Cleary is still considering a number of options for her future, all related to social justice. And while there are still elements of herself that she is discovering, she knows this much: “There are many parts of my identity that I’m proud of,” she says. “I’m proud to be Catholic, feminist, a woman, a daughter and a sister, an activist, a role model and mentor, a student, a friend and resource, and an advocate.”
Christine Hendershot Christine Hendershot
Wyoming, Michigan
Major: Nursing
Minor: Music
In high school, Christine Hendershot knew she wanted to work in healthcare: “I wanted to help sick people feel better,” she says. “I observed the care of my grandmothers and realized that those who had the greatest influence on their quality of care were nurses. Their nurses interacted on a level that was more than physical. I knew that in order to really connect with my patients, I must become a nurse.”
Her career path is inseparable from her faith. “As a nurse, I am called to be the hands of Christ to those in need. My education here has taught me the importance of caring for the whole person—not just for the physical being, but the emotional and spiritual needs of each patient.”
With this in mind, Hendershot excelled in the nursing program, earning the 2011 Caritas Award for Nursing as a junior and the Humanitarian Award as a senior. This academic year she was chosen to be a peer mentor for first-year nursing students. “I remember the fear of being in a new place and beginning a new area of study,” she says. “I wanted to convey to them the importance of the work they are setting out to do and to lead by example.”
Despite the rigors of her studies, Hendershot consistently made time for Campus Ministry, where she served as a cantor for weekly liturgies, assisted in liturgy preparation, and sang in the liturgical choir.
“Christine gives 100 percent to everything she does,” says Annette Peacock-Johnson, associate professor of nursing. “She is an exceptional leader and role model. Her smile and warmth light up the room.”
Hendershot is eager to start her job as a registered nurse for the Center for Restorative Care for Metro Health in Wyoming, Michigan. “The interconnectedness of my academic and spiritual life at Saint Mary’s has helped me grow as a nurse as well as in my faith,” she says. “This growth has prepared me to recognize the spiritual needs of my patients and to be fully present to those I serve.”
Rebecca Marie Jones Rebecca Marie Jones
South Bend, Indiana
Major: Religious studies and student designed major in gender, language, and religion
Minor: Women’s studies
Whether she was learning Hebrew in an independent study, researching gendered language in the Reform Jewish prayer book, or giving a presentation on political rhetoric and civil rights activism at the American Anthropological Association annual meeting, Rebecca Marie Jones has excelled at Saint Mary’s.
“Overall, she’s the finest student I’ve worked with,” says Anita Houck, chair and assistant professor in religious studies. “She’s a wonderful example of a student who’s really taken advantage of opportunities to discern and pursue her interests.”
Jones was drawn to her majors because she wanted to better understand the role religion plays in people’s daily lives. “I’ve always had a passion for religion and a drive to learn more about all religions,” she says. “Saint Mary’s helped me develop that interest and showed me how central religion is to human affairs. My desire to study religion’s role in social structures led me to my student designed major, where I have been able to study this issue in depth.”
Among her awards and honors are the Dorothy Manier Award for the best paper from a Writing Proficiency course, a Sister Franzita Kane Writing Award, and the Theta Alpha Kappa Undergraduate Achievement Award for excellence in religious studies. She also earned senior awards in religious studies and women’s studies. She is a member of honor societies for anthropology and religious studies, and received a Student Independent Study and Research (SISTAR) grant.
Additionally, she has been active in Anthropology Club, the Straight and Gay Alliance, and the Student Academic Council. She worked as an anthropology teaching assistant and completed anthropology research for an internship at a local boxing club that examined the construction of gender in that environment.
After graduation Jones plans to work for a year before studying religion at the University of Chicago, where she’s been accepted. “My dream is to continue to study religion for as long as I am able,” she says. “I’d like to use the knowledge I gain to teach religion at a liberal arts school like Saint Mary’s.”
Elizabeth Maltby Elizabeth Maltby
Kalamazoo, Michigan
Major: Studio art with a concentration in sculpture
Minors: Italian and religious studies
A six-week archeological dig in the heart of Transylvania, Romania—with no phone or Internet and hardly any running water—brought out the best in Elizabeth Maltby.
“It was one of the greatest experiences of my life,” says Maltby, who majored in studio art with a concentration in sculpture. “I got to combine my love of history, traveling, and museums.”
The dig wasn’t Maltby’s first experience abroad. She spent her sophomore year in the Rome Program and visited Greece for two weeks before the dig in Romania.
And she’s enjoyed sharing her passion for overseas studies with other Belles. “The most meaningful way that I was involved at Saint Mary’s was being a study abroad peer advisor. Because my personal study abroad experiences were so powerful and life-changing, it was important to me to help other students have their own positive study abroad experience. I enjoyed giving students advice and helping them pick the study abroad program that was right for them and their interests.”
Maltby was a member of the Senior Class board. Her art won second place in the judged Student Summer Art Show in 2009, and she was named a runner up for the same show in 2011.
Art professor Krista Hoefle says of Maltby, “Elizabeth is one of the top students I’ve worked with in her level of commitment to her studies, in her analytical and intellectual abilities, and in her creative approach to studio and academic courses. The dialogue she creates through her work is enlightening, and she has generated excitement and energy in our art community.”
After graduation she’ll move to Chicago, where she plans to live with her sister, Carolyn Maltby ’09, and find a job in a museum or gallery. “My time in Romania confirmed my desire to pursue a career in museum work,” she says. “I like that museums allow people to witness history, and that museums bring history to life and make it fun.”
