This Black History Month, our Black Student Union and Alumnae Office partnered to create a Q&A series connecting students with notable Black alumnae. Our final interview is with Sparkle Whitaker ‘18!

Sparkle graduated from Mother McAuley in 2018 and continued on to Washington University in St. Louis. Sparkle currently works as a Business Technology Analyst for Deloitte and she is the founder and driving force behind two game-changing initiatives, "The Onyx Incubator" and "The Onyx Label."

Sparkle is a highly motivated and visionary interdisciplinary designer, using her skills in fashion design and creative writing to address societal issues and bring about meaningful change. She has been recognized for her dedication and impact in local news and other awards.

This Black History Month, our Black Student Union and Alumnae Office partnered to create a Q&A series connecting students with notable Black alumnae. Next up is Jessica Jones ‘09!

Jessica Jones graduated from Mother McAuley Liberal Arts High School in 2009. After McAuley, she attended the University of Notre Dame, graduating in 2013 with her Bachelor of Arts and her Masters in Education in 2015. She is currently working as a Senior Educator in the Education Department at the Museum of Science and Industry. In this role, Jessica provides professional development experiences for teachers and administrators throughout the Chicagoland area. She also works as adjunct faculty for the University of Notre Dame, Alliance for Catholic Education, teaching and mentoring aspiring and new classroom teachers.

This Black History Month, our Black Student Union and Alumnae Office partnered to create a Q&A series connecting students with notable Black alumnae. Next up is Karen Spears ‘13. 

Karen Spears is a lettering artist, creative director, and founder of Kareracter Creative Studio, a creative firm specializing in hand-lettering and graphic design. In 2018, she was named Emerging Designer by the Professional Association of Design in Chicago, IL. Soho House recognized her as one of Chicago's Rising Stars in 2021, and more recently, she has been featured on WGN, WGN Radio, NBC, Fox, and WTTW.

Our Latinas Lead attended the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute Conference yesterday. It was an amazing opportunity for our students and an inspiring day for all!

This Black History Month, our Black Student Union and Alumnae Office partnered to create a Q&A series connecting students with notable Black alumnae. First up is Nikki Jennings ‘88!

Nikki is a leader in the Entertainment and Marketing industry and has a passion for marketing, live events, branding, consumer engagement, TV event production logistics, project and talent management. She is committed and has a strong desire to help aspiring young adults seeking a career in the marketing and entertainment industry, and we are so grateful for the wisdom she shared with our Mighty Macs!

Thank you to our Black Student Union for hosting our Black History Month Prayer Service this morning! The all school service was filled with community, prayer, reflection, dance, music and stories.

A special thanks to alumnae speaker, Maya Nunn ‘16, for her reflection on coming home.

We are proud and grateful to celebrate our students.

Check out our upcoming Black History Month Events hosted by our Black Student Union!

This year we began a new program with our neighbors at Mercy Circle, Macs with Mercy. Each month, one of our clubs or organizations gathers with the residents at Mercy Circle and to do an activity. So far our Student Government, Black Student Union and Science National Honor Society have participated.

The Black Student Union hosted a Cultural Spotlight Panel during lunch periods today. Student panelists shared their culture, ethnicity and heritage through conversation with peers. discussing and learning about diversity within our McAuley community. Thank you to our Black Student Union for hosting the wonderful event!

Today we gathered for our All Saints’ Day Mass. Students Arianna, Andrea, Gianna, Ndeye, and Irsa said our petitions in English, Spanish, Polish, French and Urdu. We remember the souls who have gone before and we all grieve and celebrate together.

Our Mighty Macs have been busy in the city! Check out what they’ve been up to on recent field trips across the Chicagoland area, including to Bigane Pving Company Asphalt Plant, the National Museum of Mexican Art, the Lewis University Television Network, and more!

To close out our Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations, students who are part of Latinas Lead, UNITY Community, and our National Spanish Honor Society, planned a prayer service and breakfast before school on October 13.

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are celebrating our Hispanic alumnae who are trailblazers and role models in our community.

Matty Salgado ‘23 interviewed Jessica Pedroza ‘15 as our last feature for our Hispanic Heritage Month Alumnae Spotlights.

Watch some highlights from the interview

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are celebrating our Hispanic alumnae who are trailblazers and role models in our community.

Lizette Balderas ‘23 interviewed Melissa Zeilner Marx ‘06 as our next feature for our Hispanic Heritage Month Alumnae Spotlights.

Watch some highlights from the interview 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are celebrating our Hispanic alumnae who are trailblazers and role models in our community.

Xotchil Ramirez ‘24 interviewed Yaitz Noriega ‘17 as our next feature for our Hispanic Heritage Month Alumnae Spotlights.

Watch some highlights from the interview 

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we are celebrating our Hispanic alumnae who have been trailblazers and role models in our community. 

Andrea Villanueva ‘23 interviewed Jessie Gomez ‘18 as our first feature for our Hispanic Heritage Month Alumnae Spotlights. 

Watch some highlights from the interview 

We kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month with the Latinas Lead Fiesta de Independencia!

Thank you to our Latinas Lead club for hosting this event and teaching us the History of Mexican Independence Day.

We are so excited to continue our Hispanic Heritage celebrations throughout the month!

Members of the Black Student Union, Latinas Lead, and UNITY attended the Young Women of Color Symposium this weekend at Loyola Academy. The theme this year was Unapologetically Me.

Maya Nunn graduated from Mother McAuley in 2016. After her graduation at McAuley, Maya studied at the University of Missouri, where she earned her Bachelor’s in Journalism with a concentration in Public Relations and a minor in Spanish. She received her Master’s in Sports and Entertainment Promotion from the University of Houston, and currently works as an Account Executive for a public relations firm.

Watch part of Maya's interview here!

Kayla Caffey ‘16 made her mark at Mother McAuley as one of the best middle hitters and blockers the volleyball program has ever seen. After graduating from Mother McAuley, she went on to play NCAA Division 1 Women’s Volleyball at the University of Missouri (Mizzou) and currently at the University of Nebraska.

Watch part of Kayla's interview here!

Members of the UNITY Community club encouraged students to create paper lanterns today during lunch to celebrate the Chinese New Year. One way that the Chinese New Year is celebrated is with a Lantern Festival. It honors deceased ancestors on the 15th day of the first month of the lunar (new year) calendar. The Lantern Festival aims to promote reconciliation, peace, and forgiveness. These lanterns will be displayed in the Dining Hall.

Pam Ingersol Saindon graduated from Mother McAuley in 1980 and went on to study Sociology at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She is currently a Principal Attorney for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

Watch part of Pam's interview here!

Paige Travis '10, currently "work[s] in communications and politics, and I just fell in love with writing and communications while in English classes at McAuley…McAuley had a lot to do with my career field, and I didn’t realize it until after graduating college.”

View Interview with Paige as part of our Black History Month Celebration

On Tuesday, February 1 we kicked off our Black History Month celebrations with a prayer service hosted by our Black Student Union.

Our Unity Community members organized various events and activities to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, including Lotería at lunch, Open Mics, Dance Class, Live Music and more! We had so much fun throughout the month. Thank you to those who organized and to all who participated!

As part of our February Black History Month Celebration, the Black Student Union (BSU) collaborated with our Alumnae Office to create four short videos highlighting a different McAuley alumna each week during homeroom. 

Last night, eight Black Mighty Mac alumnae from across the country joined us for a virtual panel discussion! Our BSU hosted the event as a way to celebrate our Black alumnae during Black History Month! BSU President Noadiyah Jones served as the panel moderator, asking alumnae to share with students their experience at McAuley, and give advice and insight! It was a wonderful evening!