A Piece of Their Journey

Time. Talent. Treasure. The Catholic Church teaches us early and often—if we can give one, we’re doing our part. Jen Ahrens ‘87 manages to balance all three.

Jen dreamed of becoming a teacher since she was a little girl and fulfilled that dream at Cor Jesu in the fall of 2002. She worked hard as a CJA student; she works just as a hard as a CJA teacher.

“This place (Cor Jesu) made me ready for everything else. Notre Dame was no big deal after going to high school at Cor Jesu,” Jen says of her college alma mater. “The education is so strong, and I remember the expectations were very high for us, and that’s what my students see in my classroom now. I make them work really hard.”

Jen’s first year on the job she taught world history to freshmen and theology to seniors. Over the years, her resume has expanded to include freshman, sophomore and senior theology, law, U.S. history, world history and even a history of space flight elective for a couple of years.

“I love teaching all kinds of different courses because as a teacher, I love learning, too,” Jen says. “That’s why most people become teachers, because they love to learn and are curious people.”

Not only does Jen work hard to challenge her students in the classroom, but she spends a significant amount of time educating Cor Jesu girls through clubs and co-curricular activities.

As a student, Jen served as the president of the National Honor Society (NHS), and now has been the for the past 20 years. She has coached over 40 mock trial teams, with many of them competing in State over the years. Jen is a speech team coach, as well as the moderator of the space club, history club and bocce club. She even started the curling club in 2017. And in her “spare time,” she plays a major role in organizing Honors Convocation. Plus, she has been the trip coordinator for almost all of the student summer trips to Europe since 2008.

“It’s a lot of time, but I love being involved and seeing these young women be strong and passionate about things that are outside of the classroom,” Jen says. Jen says she can operate at this breakneck speed because she so passionately wants to inspire students to excel and give them opportunities to shine.

“If the kids want a club or team and are excited about it, and all they need is a moderator to make it happen, then my answer is always ‘Yes!’” she says. And even if Jen isn’t involved as the moderator or coach, she makes it a priority to attend and support the students at their games, concerts, performances and other important activities.

“As teachers, what we want to accomplish for these girls doesn’t fit in a regular school day,” Jen says. “We work hard on our lessons, but also spend time moderating clubs, going on trips, and cheering the students on so we can enable them to try new things, to succeed, to grow and to challenge themselves.”

In addition to advancing Cor Jesu’s future through her work directly with the students, Jen has been a consistent, often quiet benefactor of the school. She began giving back in the early 90’s, as soon as she graduated from Notre Dame. Through the years, she has consistently donated to building additions, the Endowment Fund and financial aid, as well as the auction—because she wants Cor Jesu to continue to thrive and remain accessible for all families.

“What you can do, you should do,” Jen notes. “I want to be involved in creating the future in any way that I can, and at CJ that means both building up the students and building up structures for the students to use to succeed.”

If you ask Jen, Cor Jesu is unique because it graduates strong, articulate and incredibly passionate people, who “belong at the table,” in whatever capacity they choose.

“It makes sense for me to give my time, talent and treasure to Cor Jesu because it’s worthy, and I admire these girls and all they accomplish in life,” Jen says.

“To be a piece of their journey is the best legacy I can be a part of.”

Historically, members of the Heart-to-Heart Society have been alumnae who have chosen to make an automatic recurring gift to their Class Scholarship Fund.

Over the years, our generous donors – alumnae, parents and friends, alike – have expressed an increasing desire to support accessibility, ensuring all academically-qualified young women who wish to attend Cor Jesu will find the financial support they need to receive the education they desire. In keeping with that mentality, we are opening wide the doors to our Heart-to-Heart Society, extending membership to include ALL individuals who choose to give a recurring gift to Cor Jesu. Alumnae gifts will continue to support Class Scholarship Funds, while gifts from parents and friends will be applied to the Annual Fund (unless otherwise specified). For more information, or to join the Heart-to-Heart Society, please contact Abby Samel, Director of Advancement at asamel@corjesu.org or (314) 300-6324.

*The membership list in this Annual Report represents all recurring gifts, alumnae and non-alumnae.

53 ALUMNAE CLASS YEARS ARE REPRESENTED IN THE HEART-TOHEART SOCIETY

RECURRING GIFTS FROM MEMBERS GENERATED $49,500

DURING THE 20202021 FISCAL YEAR

216 TOTAL MEMBERS