AN UNEXPECTED JOURNEY

“Going to law school would never have occurred to me in a million years. I thought I wasn’t smart enough to go to law school, but I took a leap of faith that he knew what he was talking about,” Arend explains. “It’s what Sister Jo Ann Miller ’60 has talked about … Others see strengths in you that you don’t see in yourself.”

As a judge, Arend heard criminal felony, personal injury, family law and other cases. She knew the decisions she and jurors made would deeply impact those involved, possibly even changing the trajectory of their lives.

Arend says Alverno’s 8 Abilities are all integral to the role of a judge. “I had some cases where I really stuck my neck out because the law was silent, and I believed there was a right result,” she said. “I think that takes a bit of courage and confidence in one’s abilities. I believe that was developed at Alverno.”

It was Alverno that first connected Arend to a Wingspread conference on adoption — an event that would change her life. “At this conference, the idea of adopting hard-toplace children had been planted in my heart,” Arend says.

Years later, Arend began pursuing adoption. She found that not all social workers were open to considering an unmarried woman like herself as an adoptive parent. But the same year she became a judge, Arend adopted two boys, ages 6 and 11, from foster care.

“Today [my sons] are both successful, contributing members of society, and I have four grandchildren,” Arend says. “I could not be more proud of what they have overcome and what they have achieved. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that we all benefited from that conference.”

To Arend, being Alverno Strong means going on a journey of self-discovery. “Alverno provides an opportunity and safe environment to explore what your strength is, who you are as a human being and who you want to be,” she says.