Steger supports Saint Mary’s in numerous roles

Angela (Scully) Steger ’76 has seen Saint Mary’s from a variety of vantage points.

Among one of Saint Mary’s first classes of women, she and other first women forged new pathways at the formerly all men’s school.

As a member of the alumni board, she actively participated in events to strengthen our network of 52,000 alumni, particularly in the Chicago area.

As a trustee, she’s seeing the forward-thinking strategic planning that goes into making a university both successful and sought after in this rapidly changing educational environment.

And as a retired business woman who found success in the world of finance, she knows that giving to Saint Mary’s — and its students — is a worthy investment.

From each of these vantage points, her love for her alma mater has not wavered; it’s gotten stronger.

After attending Regina Dominican High School, an all-girls college preparatory school in Illinois, Steger’s parents were thrilled when she and some friends took a train ride to Winona to check out Saint Mary’s (then) College, where other former Regina Dominican students were attending. They were even more thrilled when she made her decision to join them.

Steger studied sociology and psychology until her sophomore year at Saint Mary’s, when her father, who had a fondness for finance, suggested she should consider becoming a stock broker as a good way to make more money. Steger decided to study both. “I was lucky enough to get through in three and a half years with two majors, psychology and business,” she said.

There were many firsts during her time at Saint Mary’s. She was among the first to live in the New Village (now Residencia Santiago Miller). Her college roommate started the women’s basketball team, while she ran the pom pom squad.

Karen (Minucciani) O’Malley ’76 and Angie (Scully) Steger ’76 celebrated Saint Mary’s Centennial in 2012 at Chicago’s Millennium Park.

Karen (Minucciani) O’Malley ’76, Angie (Scully) Steger ’76, Joe O’Malley ’72, John Hendele ’67, Josie Moreno ’16 and Andrew Jaworski ’16 participated in a 2019 Lasallian Day of Service event at Habitat for Humanity in Carpentersville, Ill.

She remembers having fun while feeling safe and supported. “I was allowed to thrive,” she said. “I was allowed to be as active as I wanted to. And I had the tools to survive coming out of there. We all received great educations, and we all did very well.”

Steger was hired as a stock broker in Chicago right out of college, from a connection made at a career fair. She soon moved into the pit as a trader at a time in the ’70s when she was one of very few women in the pit.

“There weren’t a lot of women doing what I was doing in the ’70s,” she said. “But I never noticed that. I was taught I could do anything. You get that from education and from being in a place where you feel comfortable learning and trying new things. It was a blessing that I was at Saint Mary’s.”

She continued her career in the financial industry, expanding into sales and marketing on a global scale, and then into financial planning. She laughs as she says she found the psychology degree equally as important as the business degree.

Which is why she was especially excited to hear about Saint Mary’s collaborative efforts between business and the sciences (including psychology). She is generously supporting the business initiative and the renovation of the Adducci Science Center’s Hoffman and Brother Charles halls, where this collaboration will occur.

“What turned me on is the trading center and the work being done with artificial intelligence. Business has always been very important to me. Sales, trading, technology, and data management is all very exciting and will position us very well for the future,” Steger said. “That’s why I’m involved. It’s a spot near and dear to my heart. I’m not an educator or a teacher and I’m certainly not a nurse. This is where my talents best lie to help. I love how we’re positioning business and science hand in hand together.

“With our new strategic plan, Saint Mary’s is thinking outside of the box and being more forward thinking about what student needs will be in the future and what industry and societal needs will be. It’s about positioning students with the tools they need for the next century.”

As a trustee, Steger has had the chance to meet with business students studying trading and sales. “They are bright and committed,” she said. “They are so much more well developed than we were. I don’t know if I could have been as articulate. I’m so proud of what we do with the X Games. Amazing things are coming out of Saint Mary’s. We’re giving them the skills that hiring managers are looking for and the tools they need to succeed, wherever they go in corporate America.” And, even as the university creates new pathways and partnerships and establishes itself in new academic areas, Steger is comforted knowing that its Lasallian core is unwavering — even though the term wasn’t ever used when she was a student.

“What I truly believe is that we were Lasallian without being told we were,” she said. “Our teachers were so invested in our success, and they imparted Lasallian by osmosis and their love of teaching and their love of students.”≠