Our 2023 in Review
What a Year It Has Been! As we take a moment to reflect on the past year, we want to acknowledge and thank you for your generous prayers, support and partnership throughout 2023. Our TMLA Family is thriving and our students' achievements are unparalleled. As we start this new calendar year, we’d like to share just a few outstanding achievements from 2023.
Take a Look... Summer at Georgetown University Scholar-Athletes Alina Charles ‘23 Scores Perfect on AP Art Exam All-League and NCAA Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Science Research Program Service Mission Trip to Montana TMLA Receives Highest Recognition from College Board Chloe Riche ‘23 Accepted Into Four Ivy League Schools The Aspire Program / Aspire Scholars Alum Generosity Funds Major Advances at TMLA Giving Tuesday Initiative TMLA 87th Commencement 21st Annual Summerfest Women In Engineering Week International Travel TMLA Alum Come Home In Record Numbers Mark Your Calendars!
39 Students Spent the Summer at Georgetown! TMLA students were invited to take part in the prestigious Leadership Initiatives Summer Internship program at Georgetown University. From Advanced Medicine and Public Health, to International Leadership and Business, to Advanced Law and Trial our students gained firsthand experience, incomparable knowledge and real world skills working with professionals and students from around the world. We encourage you to click the link below for detailed information on each student and her phenomenal internship studies.
Georgetown Internship Info
Scholar Athletes
Artists
Over 180 students were recognized for their extraordinary commitment to both academic and athletic achievement, honing their physical prowess while maintaining GPA's higher than 3.5!
Varsity Cross Country Champions!
PERFECT SCORE
TMLA's 2023 Varsity Cross Country Team made history by winning the NYC Cross Country Championship for the first time in 50 years!!
In May of 2023, senior Alina Charles' performance on the AP Drawing Exam was so superior that the College Board declared that it fell into a rather select category. AP Exams are scored on a scale of 1 to 5. Alina not only received the top score of 5, but also earned EVERY POINT POSSIBLE on the AP Drawing Exam, receiving the maximum score on each portion of the exam. Alina's outstanding accomplishment places her in the top 1.6 percent of AP Drawing students in the entire world!!
15 Scholar Athletes Named ALLLEAGUE on the following teams! Badminton Basketball Cross Country Lacrosse Soccer
Softball Swimming Tennis Volleyball
JV Cheer Champions! TMLA's JV Cheer Team captured First Place at the 2023 JV Cheer Invitational Championship at Hofstra University!
NCAA In November 2023 four TMLA Scholar Athletes signed their Letters of Intent committing to the Softball, Swim and Volleyball Teams at Catholic University of America, Iona University, SUNYNew Paltz and Wheaton College.
2023 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards Seven of TMLA's students were recognized with 9 awards in the Scholastic Art and Writing Competition. Alina Charles '23 - Silver Key in Drawing & Illustration for her work Basement's Tifi. Alina Charles '23 - Honorable Mention in Drawing & Illustration for her work Virtue. Ciara Davila '23 - Honorable Mention in Drawing & Illustration for her work Don't Judge Me. Dalia O'Keeffe '24 - Honorable Mention in Drawing & Illustration for her work Lost to Time. Eliza Pikulinski '25 - Silver Key in Film & Animation for her work Awestruck. Fiona Sheahan '23 - Silver Key in Drawing & Illustration for her work Fingerprint Dissection. Ariana Tolentino '25 - Honorable Mention in Painting for her work Ultima Lux. Hanna Vojar '25 - Silver Key in Mixed Media for her work Schola Vita Sanguinis. Hanna Vojar '25 - Honorable Mention in Poetry for her work What Was She Wearing.
National Art Honor Society 2023 saw the official creation of a TMLA Chapter of the National Art Honor Society!
Service TMLA has long been known as a unique place of achievement and service. Here are just a few highlights of the ways in which our students showed themselves to be of service to our "Dear Neighbor." In collaboration with the Hance Family Foundation our students collected over 3,000 books to be given as Christmas presents to children from disadvantaged communities. Students organized on campus activities to raise funds for Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Research Center. TMLA's Adopt-a-Grandparent program was able to resume in person visits to the residents of our local nursing homes. Students collected more than 275 toys as Christmas presents for 5-12 year old boys and girls in the Hour Children program, whose mothers are currently incarcerated. Donated over 1,100 nonperishable food items to Faith Mission on Long Island to help ensure that families facing food insecurity will have access to nourishing meals.
Scientists Eight students in TMLA's intensive Science Research Program launched groundbreaking new research projects. Sarah Brito '24 on the effects of emotion on memory. Alexandra Dimitrovici '26 on the psychological effects of caffeinated products sold in the U.S. Ebba Kappko '25 on how organoids are used to test reactions in the human body. Maribel Martinez '24 on how radiation in our common electronics affects us. Nithya Nair '26 on the psychological effects of Covid and post-Covid anxiety in adults. Stephanie Polito '24 on epigenetic reversal of neurodegenerative diseases. Sophia Szymankiewicz '26 on how music affects the human behavior and brain biochemistry. Ava Zino '24 on pediatric kidney stones and innovations in Biomed.
Service Mission Trip
In October 2023 ten students from TMLA's Service Learning and Leadership Program volunteered on the Blackfeet Nation Reservation in Browning, Montana. TMLA students served as Teacher's Assistants working one-on-one with children in math, science, reading and phonics. Members of the Blackfeet Nation spoke with our students about Blackfeet history, culture, language, the connections between Catholicism and Blackfeet spirituality, as well as the experience of being a young person growing up on the reservation.
TMLA Achieves Highest Recognition from College Board The Mary Louis Academy's Advanced Placement Program is one of the most comprehensive in New York, with 18 AP courses offered across all disciplines, beginning in 9th grade! The College Board recognized TMLA with their highest distinction - Platinum Honor Roll. Simultaneously, TMLA also received the AP Access Award for providing all students with the chance to participate in Advanced Placement courses.
99% 100%
of TMLA's Class of 2023 sat for at least one Advanced Placement Exam! of TMLA students who took the 2023 AP Literature & Composition Exam scored 3 (Very Good), 4 (Excellent) or 5 (Best!)
Chloe Riche '23 Accepted into Four Ivies!! Chloe Riche, a member of TMLA's Class of 2023, was accepted into a total of 15 top-tier colleges and universities, including four Ivy League institutions! Chloe is currently studying Neuroscience at Princeton University on track to attend medical school.
TMLA Aspire Program Thanks to the incredible generosity of a TMLA alumna, The Mary Louis Academy is home to Aspire - the college prep program unmatched anywhere in the country (if not the world!) Through Aspire, TMLA's students are provided with a vast array of tools to launch their futures and realize their dreams: PSAT, SAT & ACT prep courses provided on campus and through virtual classrooms. Overnight visits to tour top-tier colleges and universities. One-on-one consultations with their families and a wealth management firm to ascertain the best ways in which to pay for college. Individual guidance, revision and review in writing their college application essays. Personalized independent college admissions consultants. Ability to apply to become an Aspire Scholar.
Over the past two decades, TMLA's Aspire Program has seen remarkable success in the ever increasing number of our students applying and being accepted to the top-tier colleges and universities in the world. However, one of the perennial issues facing college bound young people has remained the often insurmountable challenge of how to actually afford to attend the college or university of their choice. In 2022, TMLA set out to help change that. The newest facet of TMLA's Aspire Program - The Aspire Scholars - has proven to be a game-changer for our young women. TMLA students who have been accepted to one of 60 top-tier colleges and universities may apply for consideration to be selected as an Aspire Scholar. Upon selection as an Aspire Scholar, TMLA's Aspire Endowment can bridge the gap between the total financial package offered by the college or university, the realistic financial abilities of the students and their families, and the total cost of attending that school. In this way we strive to help "make the impossible, possible." As of the close of 2023, we are proud to announce that TMLA's Aspire Endowment is currently funding over half a million dollars of the four year undergraduate expenses for 9 young women currently attending Barnard College, Georgetown University, Howard University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Virginia! If you would like to partner with us in supporting this monumental program please click below.
Donate to Aspire
Alum Generosity Funds Major Advances at TMLA! The Class of 1972 generously funded the addition of The Anatomage Table to our new Health Sciences Laboratory. The Anatomage Table is the most technologically advanced 3D anatomy visualization system for anatomy and physiology education, adopted by the world's leading medical schools and institutions. Renovations in our beloved Art Cottage saw installation of new butcher block work stations and a dedicated professional 3D Printer. Remodel of our historic Veal-Grega Physics Laboratory. In 1936, TMLA was the very first school in NYC to offer Physics for young women! This renovation was generously made possible by an alumna in memory of her mother. Dramatic renovation of TMLA's Pitaro Gymnasium with a refinished floor, new bleachers, stadium lighting, and custom-made safety padding emblazoned with TMLA's Hilltoppers logo! Architectural restoration of TMLA's renowned Kropf Library. This collegiate gothic masterpiece has been a haven for over 85 years. Completed in 1937 as a replica of the Law Library at Yale University, TMLA's Library saw a facelift in 2023 with fresh paint, restoration work to the gothic stonework, refinishing of the oak paneling, faux hammerbeam ceiling and fireplace, as well as the addition of beautiful fleur-de-lis museum lighting around the room. Technological advances in TMLA's Latham Engineering Laboratory, the only lab of its kind for young women! 2023 has seen the addition of a Glowforge Pro laser cutter for creating engineering prototypes as well as enhanced machining software for our two CNC machines.
Record-Breaking Support From Our TMLA Family 2023 saw record-breaking levels of support from the members of our TMLA Family! From our Giving Tuesday Initiative which raised more in 24 hours than any other high school in NY, to Reunion Class Gifts to fund scholarships, and dedicated annual support, our alums, students, families, faculty, staff and administrators past and present, our Sisters of St. Joseph, Board of Trustees and many more came together in varied ways to contribute over $2.5 million to the empowerment of young women at The Mary Louis Academy in 2023. We cannot thank you enough, we truly could not do it all without you! If you would like to start the new year off with a gift to TMLA please click below.
Give Now
The Mary Louis Academy Eighty-Seventh Year Commencement Exercises The Mary Louis Academy Class of 2023 left the Hill prepared to seize their dreams and change the world! 100% attending college. 100% earned the New York State Regents Diploma with Advanced Designation - New York's highest academic distinction. 100,000 volunteer hours served in their communities. $40 million awarded in merit-based academic scholarships.
The Mary Louis Academy 2023 Commencement Speaker was Dr. Maral Javadifar - Class of 2008! Dr. Javadifar currently serves as the first Director of Rehabilitation and Performance Coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2020, Maral made history as the first woman Strength & Conditioning Coach to win a Super Bowl! Maral earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Molecular Biology from Pace University and her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from New York Medical College before completing her Sports Physical Therapy Residency at Virginia Commonwealth University.
TMLA’s 21st Annual Summerfest Summer of 2023 saw the full return of TMLA's Summerfest program, the first one packed with activity since the pandemic! This program was far more than a collection of activities and events for prospective students; it was a vibrant tapestry of learning, growth and personal discovery created by our dedicated faculty. Summerfest 2023 featured: Our first week-long Forensic Science program where students were taught to critically evaluate and analyze the types of evidence found at a crime scene, as well as their own hair samples and hair samples from their pets, handwriting samples and fingerprints. TMLA Cafe, a 3-day hands-on culinary experience that allowed each participant to create achievable (and delicious) recipes, learn cooking techniques and have fun! Visual Arts, exploring all the fundamentals taught within TMLA's award-winning Fine Arts Department, including 3-D animation, drawing and painting. Athletic Clinics in basketball, bowling, soccer, softball and volleyball where future Hilltoppers learned new techniques to help excel in their sport(s) of choice, receive a glimpse of what it's like to compete at the high school Varsity or Junior Varsity level and experience the benefits of being part of the largest all-girl athletic program in the City of New York.
TMLA Women in Engineering Week
Since 2017, TMLA has hosted an intensive week-long experience designed to inspire young women to explore the many fields of engineering. In the summer of 2023, the program was open to young women entering grades 6 through 8, as well as our incoming class of Freshwomen. During this week, our young engineers Built a device that functions like a hand using a variety of materials. This project introduced our young engineers to the intersection of Biology, Medical Engineering and Medicine. Were paired up to create a wind turbine that would generate energy, with the ultimate goal of powering a light bulb connected to a motor. This project led to intense discussion of Ohm's Law, specifically that current times voltage gives you power in Watts. Applied Chemical Engineering by building rockets made from film canisters and AlkaSeltzer, demonstrating energy transfer used in different types of transportation. Dabbled in the fields of Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering and Material Science by creating casein plastic from nothing but milk and vinegar. Created Oobleck, a special non-Newtonian fluid that defies Newton's third law of physics. Oobleck is a material that acts as a solid when it is expected to act as a liquid, and acts as a liquid when expected to act as a solid. Were exposed to collegiate-level engineering at Hofstra University's Bioengineering Lab where they observed Hofstra students studying and analyzing hair through a variety of methods. This amazing program, unique on the East Coast to Mary Louis, was founded by a TMLA alumna who is Chair of Engineering at Cabrillo College. Each summer a team of engineering teachers and students fly in from California to offer this outstanding opportunity to our current and prospective students. Of special note this past summer, one of the engineering TA's from California was heading from TMLA to begin an engineering program at the Colorado School of Mines, a program founded by a TMLA alumna as well!
Exploring the World Sponsored by TMLA's Department of World Languages, two cultural immersion trips for over 80 students explored Europe during 2023! During midwinter break our students explored Italy and the Vatican, where they were blessed to attend Ash Wednesday service with Pope Francis in St. Peter's Basilica. Easter break saw TMLA arrive in France! Our students toured Paris, Bordeaux, Provence, Carcassone and the Cote d'Azur! Over 70 students are already booked to take part in TMLA's 2024 cultural immersion trips to England, Scotland and Greece.
TMLA's Office of Alumnae Relations launched two cultural immersion trips for alums and members of our TMLA Family which will take place in 2024 in Europe and North Africa! Over Easter Break of 2024 TMLA alums and friends are returning to Explore Our Roots in France. We will be journeying to Lyon, Bas-enBasset, LePuy-en-Velay, Burgundy and Paris to visit the sites where our Sisters of St. Joseph were founded! For information on joining this trip please click below.
Explore France Over summer of 2024 TMLA alums will be Exploring the World in Portugal, Spain and Morocco! Highlights include Lisbon, Granada, Seville, Tangier, Casablanca, Marrakesh, Madrid, Barcelona and more! For more information on this trip please click below. Explore Portugal, Spain and Morocco
Alum Came Home in Record Numbers! In 2023, over 2,000 alums of The Mary Louis Academy returned home! Our halls and campus were alive all year with the sharing of laughter, memories, funny stories, and the celebration of friendships old and new. We are incredibly grateful to all those who were able to come home and participate in the life of TMLA today in such a variety of ways...attending events, volunteering time, talent and treasure to benefit our students, cheering our students on at performances, and mentoring our world's future leaders. Just a few of the events our alums returned for were:
Tuscan Wine Tasting Alum Retreats in the Hamptons Annual Reunion in November Genesians Performances International Women's Day Alum BBQ's on campus Alum Mentoring Panel JLew Memorial 5k Run/Walk Alum Retreats on campus Alum College Fair TMLA Concerts Parents' Club Auction Dear Neighbor Alum Service Corps Open House Spirit Night and so much more!
Mark Your 2024 Calendars Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service January 15th
The Angelica Awards (Honoring Sister Clara Santoro, Sister Joan Petito & Sister Kathleen McKinney) January 27th
Leap Back to TMLA Day February 29th
International Women's Day March 8th
Spirit Night March 15th
Parents' Club Auction March 22nd
Exploring Our Roots in France March 27th - April 6th
Alum Prom 2.0 April 13th
Genesians Spring Musicale April 19th & April 20th
JLew Memorial 5k Run/Walk April 27th
Alum Spring Retreat in the Hamptons May 17th - May 19th
Fine Arts Festival & Concert May 18th
Alum Barbecue June 14th
Exploring the World Portugal, Spain & Morocco July 5th - July 23rd
For information on Alum events please contact TMLA's Office of Alum Relations at Alumnae@tmla.org or by calling Elizabeth McGlinchey '03 at 718.297.2120 x7176
The Mary Louis Academy
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