SHA Cordecho Fall 2020

Shirley Stolarski ’68 was inspired to run for office because of the bussing dispute in the Buffalo Public Schools in the 1970s. Shirley attributes her willingness to run for office to the confidence she gained at Sacred Heart and ties her interest in public service to the Franciscan values she learned and lived at SHA. She held positions on the Buffalo School Board and Buffalo City Council, and in 1980, she was elected to the Erie County Legislature, the only woman serving at the time. She held all of her elected positions while working as a pharmacist. Shirley says at SHA she learned to never underestimate herself and gained the conviction that she could do anything she set her mind to. Heide Herrmann ’91 remembers an atmosphere at SHA where everyone was encouraged to step into leadership roles, participate in class, and voice their opinions. After law school, she worked as a prosecutor in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Columbia for eight years and currently serves as a Magistrate Judge in D.C. In these roles and through volunteer activism, Heide has used the leadership skills she learned at SHA to champion vulnerable populations, especially victims of domestic violence. The importance of community and service are what Amy Fleischauer ’92 remembers learning at Sacred Heart Academy, inspiring her to go into social work and advocacy for immigrants and survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. As the Director of Support Services at International Institute of Buffalo, her work focuses on helping these populations access legal and social support through advocacy and legislative change. She also gives expert witness testimony to juries on the effects of trauma, helping them understand the survivor’s experience. Katherine Meger Kelsey ’02 also learned her passion for service at SHA. Through her child advocacy work in Indiana, Katie understands firsthand the limitations and obstacles raised by current laws written with very few women at the table. She has identified the need for women lawyers to become policy makers, providing a perspective and focus on women and children’s issues. Based upon her experience at SHA and in her career, she believes more female voices are needed as we aspire to create justice for all. Khristian Powell King ’03 , Executive Director of Student Engagement and Inclusion at SUNY Fredonia, vividly remembers former SHA principal Sr. Edith Wyss, OSF telling her and her classmates, “If you see something missing, you create it.” As a result, Khristian created programming for Black History Month and Women’s History Month while a student at SHA. In her current role, Khristian runs the Crowned Rubies at SUNY Fredonia, a group for women of color. The focus of the group is to establish support systems, foster success and achievement, and provide a safe and encouraging environment to come together and be their genuine selves. Juniors Gabriella Sanchez ’22 and Kathryn Tocke ’22 started a SHA Election Club which takes a bipartisan look at presidential campaigns and political satire, analyzing how they influence young people’s perceptions on candidates and political issues. Gabriella and Kathryn were inspired to start this organization by their teachers and fellow students. “Being in an all-women’s environment, we see women everyday who empower us. They encourage our voices to be heard,” says Gabriella. As the next generation’s leaders, they believe women must be involved in the political process to create needed change on important substantive issues. S P I R I T . M I N D . B O D Y . C O R D E C H O 5 Graduates-Women Leading the Way Shirley Stolarski ‘68 marching as a Marshall for the Pulaski Day Parade in 1979, which took place on Broadway in the district she represented.