2022 March Mailer - What it's like to be a SCA girl

WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A St. Cecilia Girl?

Dear Friend -

I remember being in your shoes, deciding if I should come to St. Cecilia or not. Honestly, I wasn’t really sure if I should. Would I fit in? Will I find friends? Did I make the right choice?

After the initial new-student jitters, I found out that St. Cecilia was invigorating, exciting, and a ton of fun! My freshman year I made the volleyball team, the choir, and the school play. I discovered true and lasting friendships with many of the girls I met. Here are just a few examples:

Lindsey and I sat backstage every year at play practice. When I was cast as Cinderella, she helped me get up the nerve to waltz with Prince Charming, though I was a terrible dancer! Jordan and I practiced my volleyball serve after healing from a shoulder injury. After I dropped the baton in the middle of a track meet, Elise helped me with my hand-offs at track practice. She knew I had thought about quitting the team. Noel and I sang the national anthem before MBA football games together, and we sang with the St. Cecilia Choir at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Tara, Victoria, and Sarah rode w pick up our dates for our Senior Prom. Sch lifeguards together every summer. Catheri Physics homework before school. Kristen t on spirit week. The list goes on and on.

Then we all graduated, and went our separ

…but actually, we didn’t

2001 2000

We DID all go far away from each other in college and careers, but we have never really been separate. After SCA, I went to Wake Forest University, then worked in the U.S. Senate. One year we all gathered in my teeny tiny Washington DC apartment to have a St. Cecilia dinner party. Years later, Heather flew to Florida to cheer me on at an election night party.

When I married my wonderful husband, Noel sang the most beautiful solo for me on my wedding day. I held her hand when her mother passed away. Lindsey and her husband have season tickets next to ours at the new Nashville SC stadium. I helped Tara with her baby the week she moved back to Nashville from New York. I’ve been there to welcome all four of Jordan’s children. We went to Disney World together (more than once, actually) and have even met up before in Europe. Before we knew it, we were celebrating our 20th reunion!

My story of friendship is just one of a long line of others that have been forming and transforming women since 1860. What an amazing legacy! What a strong bond we will all share!