Alumnae Spotlights

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!

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.

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. 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.

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 

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! 

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

Congratulations to McAuley's very own, Katie Schumacher Cawley '97 on being named the next head coach of the Penn State Women's Volleyball team!

Check out Katie’s full B1GToday interview!

Congratulations to McAuley’s very own Abbey Murphy ‘20 for competing in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team!

Watch her Olympic Introduction

After graduating from Mother McAuley, she continued her studies at Marquette University and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Marianne Kwiatkowski ’82 served as a Reserve Nurse in the United States Air Force for 20 years.

Vania Montero Wit '86 is a well-respected attorney, who earned a Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University, and is a member of Mother McAuley's Board of Trustees.

Jessica Ortiz '07 is Rise Strategy Group's Vice President of Media Relations. Jess' relationships and expertise across the media landscape have enabled Rise to grow their clients' impact and reach by securing press locally, nationally and internationally.

Veronica Villalon Pinela '93 is a seasoned communications professional with more than 20 years’ experience working on marketing strategies and efforts for regional, national & global brands.

Charley Niego '18 led the Fighting Irish to their win against Oakland with 19 kills. At the the game, she became the 24th member of the Fighting Irish to reach the 1,000-kill mark with her third kill of the match in the first set.

Lauren Frost Stull '08, Colleen Frost Piko '10, Kara Frost '12 & Emily Frost '17, alongside their father, Michael Frost, host their annual Frosty Walk to honor the spirit of their mother, Darlene Whirity Frost '81.

Maya-Camille Broussard '97 is owner of Justice of the Pies, a bakery she established in honor of her late father, Stephen J. Broussard, who was a criminal defense attorney & had a passion for food.

Kimberly Chmura '90 is the Vice President of Administration at St. Anthony Hospital where she managed the hospital's legal response to a 2019 malware attack that completely shut down its services & handled its COVID response by sourcing medical supplies, implementing new regulations & advising a communitywide vaccine rollout. Due to all of her hard work, she was recently honored as one of Crain's 2021 Notable General Counsels. 

Nedaa Sweiss '09 is currently a producer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, with previous positions as head writer at Jimmy Fallon, consulting writer at The Drew Barrymore Show & writer at the Late Late Show with James Corden.

Jennifer "Sis" Phelan Killen '94 was recently appointed as the first Female Superintendent of Cook County's Department of Transportation and Highways in 108 years!