LIGHTING THE WAY

By Jessica Baltzersen ’14

They say that by lighting a path for yourself, you light the way for others.

Rising from their own hardships and challenges, these MSJ alumni have taken their experiences and chosen careers that emulate a life of service—one that’s rooted in the Mount’s mission of living a life of integrity and social responsibility.

Following their own passions, these alumni have found ways to be leaders in their communities, locally and globally. They are beacons, proving that when you help others succeed, you improve the world around you. Read on to learn more about their inspiring journeys.

HELPING TEEN PARENTS LIVE A LIFE OF LEGACY

Rosemary Oglesby- Henry ’13

Photo by Mark Byron.

At 16, most high school students have plenty on their plates, from school work to extracurriculars, to their after-school jobs and looming college applications—but becoming a parent typically isn’t one of them. However, for Rosemary Oglesby- Henry ’13, it very much was. By the time Oglesby-Henry was 17, she was a new mother, living on her own, and having to make a very rapid transition from childhood to adulthood.

But she refused to be a statistic. With a history of teen pregnancy in her family, she knew she wanted to end the generational pattern with her daughter.

In 2006, Oglesby-Henry transferred to the Mount with her associate degree from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Due to other circumstances, she had to pause her education but returned in 2012—two years before her daughter graduated from high school. It was at this time Oglesby-Henry conceptualized what would later become Rosemary’s Babies Co. (RBC)—an impact organization (501c3) committed to helping teen parents master the concepts of selfleadership to leave a long-lasting legacy.

“I wanted to help teen moms,” she says. “I wanted to be able to help them in a way that nobody helped me. I also wanted teen moms to understand that they don’t have to go on welfare, they don’t have to stay in income-based housing, they don’t have to allow the things that other people say to them to change the trajectory of their life.”

When Oglesby-Henry continued her education at the Mount, pursuing her Master of Science in Organizational Leadership, she brought the concept of Rosemary’s Babies Co. to fruition.

“When I realized we had to do a project I decided I was not going to spend two years researching someone else’s work,” she says. “I found this to be an exceptional opportunity to accomplish two goals at one time: complete my degree while structuring my calling.”

A year after graduating, Oglesby-Henry spent a year with teens and the teen parent population ensuring that there was still a need for her work. She found that many teen parents were still facing the obstacles she met as a young parent.

“When I started this organization, I wanted it to be a nojudgment zone,” she says. “I wanted teen parents to be able to walk through these doors and know that there’s someone there that cares and listens and that understood what they were going through… because I can relate.”

Seven years after its inception, RBC serves more than 200 families per year by offering online resources, one-on-one mentoring, peer support, confidential care, education, and more. In 2022, Rosemary’s Babies Co. purchased a 6,900 square-foot facility, called the Holloway House & Resource Center, to expand its programming to include supportive housing for teen parent families.

Oglesby-Henry’s ambition to change the outlook and stigma of teen parenthood has led her to share her mission on local as well as national platforms. To date, she has been recognized with more than 35 honors.

“My vision is to become a global corporation that supports teen parents, changing policies and legislation nationally while at the same time creating a future where teens, if they choose to parent, will no longer be ostracized but receive the care they need to be successful,” she says.

LEADING TO UPLIFT THE DEAF COMMUNITY

Angela Frith ’96

Photo by Mark Byron

For more than 22 years, Angela Frith ’96 has worked for the St. Rita School for the Deaf. The MSJ education alumna started as a substitute teacher in the classroom, then moved into Development, working in public relations, marketing, and donations. She then became associate executive director, and in 2018, was appointed by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati to lead the school as the executive director.

Even before her career started at St. Rita, Frith had strong ties to the school. Her mother, who is part of the deaf community, graduated as a student from St. Rita. And as a little girl, Frith frequented the school to visit her father, who worked at the school for 47 years and also served as executive director.

St. Rita opened nearly 108 years ago with 11 students staffed by the founder, Fr. Waldhaus, and three Sisters of Charity. Eventually, it would become the first accredited high school for the deaf in Ohio.

“St. Rita has evolved over the years,” Frith says. “Twenty years ago we started accepting hearing students because they need a language, and using our hands and that part of the brain is sometimes easier than spoken English.”

Under Frith’s leadership, St. Rita has continued to adapt to meet the special communication needs of the students, whether they are deaf or hard of hearing, have apraxia of speech (a speech sound disorder), an autism spectrum disorder, or Down syndrome.

“By having a diverse range of students at the school, we have advocates for deaf children who can share their journey and experiences that others can learn from,” Frith says. “Being a member of the St. Rita community has opened my eyes to another culture and world that is a lot of times not recognized. It’s been a journey and I’ve never stopped learning.”

For Frith, it’s people’s stories that really impact what she does on a daily basis.

“There’s a lot of education and advocacy that has to happen in order for people to understand [the deaf community],” she says. “The more we talk and share, the more understanding we become.”

Her favorite part, though, is seeing the transformation happen within the classroom.

“Our faculty and staff are amazing to me,” she says. “They do the hard work. I have the easy job of sharing the story. But they’re the ones day in and day out making a real impact and difference.”

As a leader, she’s adamant about championing the teachers with their work and guiding them in the impact that they make.

“When I get a snapshot of what’s happening in the classroom I love to be able to walk away changed,” she says. “I then usually send the teacher a note as a reminder that what they do is so important.”

The school is growing, and Frith says there are still more great things to come.

“We’re more than that building on I-75 that people drive by all the time,” she says. “Once you step inside, it’s a whole different world. My goal is that when you leave you learn something new that you never knew, that we keep learning and sharing our stories.”

SERVING UP STRONG COMMUNITY TIES

Juan Imeroni ’96

Photo by Mark Byron

Established in 1892, O’Malley’s in the Alley proudly holds the title of the “second oldest bar in Cincinnati.” For Juan Imeroni ’96, though, who purchased O’Malley’s in 2012, it holds the title as the “first bar he ever owned”—the one that inspired Imeroni to start Ignite Entertainment, a parent company that houses specialized entertainment destinations throughout the diverse communities of the Queen City.

“When [the opportunity to purchase] O’Malley’s came along, I thought, Why not? I can do this! I worked in a nightclub as a young man—how hard could it be?” Imeroni laughs.

Before the purchase of O’Malley’s and many other wellknown establishments to come, Imeroni moved from Argentina to Cincinnati in 1991 to attend the Mount as an international student.

“I came to the Mount because of their art programs and because Cincinnati sounded like a cool place that was doing some really cool stuff,” he says. “Coming to school in America was a dream come true. I have always had a passion for the arts and being creative and working with my hands. It was such an amazing experience to come here and learn about the culture, while also becoming educated as an artist. I apply what I learned then to what I do now, every day. I’m very particular about the way our [establishments] look and feel, and I constantly reference my education in my decision-making process.” His path to success was not a linear one, nor was it always easy. “Raising my daughter, Sophia, as a single father was a challenge,” Imeroni says. “But she is my greatest joy and accomplishment in life.”

When Sophia was young, Imeroni lost their home in a devastating fire that left them with nothing. At the time, Imeroni was also hand-crafting large, ornate rugs. Then, when the recession hit in 2008, luxurious and high-priced items like his rugs took a nosedive. “I had to rethink my business plan and transform it into something else,” he says.

Imeroni began purchasing properties, revitalizing them, and selling or renting the spaces. When the opportunity to purchase O’Malley’s came along, he says he couldn’t pass it up.

Today, he’s the owner of 13 establishments, including The Blind Pig, Lola’s Coffee + Bar, The View at Shires’ Garden, Pampas (which pays homage to the Pampas region of Argentina), and Dog Haus, located just down the street from the Mount, on Pedretti Ave.

Honoring his cultural roots, Imeroni also got into the restaurant business with his former business partner and fellow Argentinian, Alfio Gulisano. In 2016 they opened Ché OTR, featuring specialty empanadas, and Butcher and Barrel in 2017—a more upscale destination “featuring what Argentina is known and loved for—steak,” Imeroni says.

As the humble leader of these restaurants, Imeroni emphasizes that “Ignite is more than just a bunch of businesses—we’re a family.”

In 2020, when COVID-19 hit, the industry changed completely.

“We’ve had to learn how to do business in different ways to be able to survive, but with the help of my team we worked together to be resourceful in navigating the circumstances,” he says. “We’ve been creative, authentic, and strong, and we have been united in how we managed the challenges. The future is five minutes from now and 10 years from now, and it changes every second along the way—I just want to continue to do what we do—foster the community through engaging experiences in unique destinations, to offer great food and drinks, and friendly, professional service that makes you feel like family too.”

CHANGING THE LANDSCAPE OF HOMELESSNESS

Danielle Amrine ’07

Photo by Mark Byron

Danielle Amrine ’07 came to the Mount as an adult student looking for evening classes. She obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Social Work with a minor in Psychology. She returned to the Mount from 2009-2012 as an adjunct instructor teaching classes like “addictions” and “social policy.”

In 2017, Amrine became the CEO of Welcome House of Northern Kentucky, an organization that offers a holistic approach and range of services aimed at ending homelessness. “I wanted to help people the same way other people have helped me growing up,” Amrine says. The mission of Welcome House is close to Amrine’s heart.

When she was 18, she personally experienced homelessness.

“I’ve been there,” she says. “I’ve experienced it. I know what it’s like. And I know how impactful services that help people who are experiencing homelessness can be.”

Amrine’s work is on a macro level, introducing new services to the organization, and connecting and working with legislators on changing laws that assist the population they serve.

“To me, this is the most important part, being able to have a say and a hand in developing and bringing more services to those who need them the most,” she says.

Welcome House offers a continuum of services, with 28 programs, from addressing the root causes of homelessness to medical street outreach, all the way to housing stability. The continuum is made up of three main service areas, including housing, service coordination, and outreach and stability.

“We’re looking to not only provide a handout but a hand up,” she says. “We are housing first, which means it’s the first priority we work on. We don’t have complicated qualifications to get them a place to live. We believe housing is a basic human right.”

Welcome House offers three shelters: one for veterans, one for two-parent families, and one for women and children. In the spring of 2023, they’ll welcome a new facility in Covington, Kentucky, that will accommodate the expanded population of single parents, including single dads and their children. Above all, Amrine is fighting to eliminate any stigmas. “People often think that people experiencing homelessness are violent or have a drug addiction, or that it’s their own fault,” she says. “When we see people on a street corner, we often put a onesize-fits-all filter over homelessness. That’s not really the case.”

According to a survey from Bankrate, 56 percent of Americans are only one $1,000-emergency away from needing to borrow money or sell something. With a nation of people so financially close to the edge, stats like this one put into perspective the possibility of how many people are one unexpected circumstance away from homelessness. Amrine has seen teachers, nurses, and many people with degrees experience homelessness. She’s also seen people who have experienced many challenges, but at the end of the day, everyone, no matter their background, is an individual.

“They’re human beings who have stories and when you sit down and talk to them, it dissolves the judgments we’ve made up about them,” she says.

One day, Amrine says she’d love to be out of a job. “My hope is to see numbers go down and provide comprehensive care that eliminates homelessness altogether.”

ANSWERING THE CALL OF MEDICAL HEALING

Sebastian Paz ’19

Photo by Jenna Fisher.

When Sebastian Paz ’19 was accepted to the Mount to pursue his Master of Science in Nursing (MAGELIN) Degree, he was deployed to Qatar and had to put his education on temporary hold. Paz had served in the U.S. Military for eight years and duty called once again. As a member of the U.S. Air Force, he started out as a firefighter medic and found a calling responding to medical calls. Later, he transferred to become a flight medic, flying missions all over the Middle East, Afghanistan, Iraq, Kuwait, and Sudan.

Paz often thought about life after the military and what his transition to civilian life would look like. At 32, married with two children, he decided the Mount would be the place to explore a career in nursing.

“I wanted the best route where I could earn a living, provide for my family, and still do what I love,” Paz says.

After he returned from his deployment in 2017, he was able to begin his MAGELIN studies.

“My time at the Mount was great… the educators, staff, and facilities were all awesome,” he says.

The MAGELIN Program, though, is intensive and takes an immense amount of dedication, perseverance, and discipline. Throughout his time at the Mount, Paz worked hard to support his family while also co-owning a nonprofit organization, Vetwod. Vetwod is community-focused, with a mission to serve military veterans and first responders who are combatting mental health issues.

“We want these people to know that self-destructive behaviors or isolation is not the solution to coping with trauma, and they don’t have to do it alone,” Paz says.

To get Vetwod off the ground, and with little free time for an extra job, Paz frequently donated his plasma to get additional income for starting his nonprofit.

“I remember going to donate plasma, while also studying and listening to lectures… it was definitely a busy time,” he says.

Paz was later recognized as a recipient of the Brother Ignatius Perkins Award—a designation given to a MAGELIN student who consistently demonstrates outstanding achievement in the practice of nursing.

Working with his preceptor, Paz knew he wanted to specialize in emergency medicine.

“I’ve always known what I wanted to do. It’s what I’m passionate about, but it’s definitely not for everyone,” he says. “Not a lot of people can handle it.”

Paz was able to transition into a new role in an emergency department and was later hired at the hospital after he graduated. When COVID-19 hit, he decided to quit his job at the hospital and become a traveling nurse while living in a recreational vehicle (RV) with his wife and kids.

“The reason I got out of the military was so I could spend more time with my family,” Paz says. “My wife was the one who really wanted this adventure, so we packed up everything and sold the house.”

To Paz, though, no matter where he is, he wants to continue helping people.

“I don’t know what I’d be doing if I wasn’t taking care of patients,” he says. Paz continues to support and heal different communities using his experience to live out his calling.