Alumnae Stories

Empowering a Legacy of Girl Power—Allie Macaulay ’15

Our family was first introduced to Carondelet in 2011, and we were lucky to call it home for more than 11 years. Our daughters Allie ’15, Hannah ’19, and Kelsey ’22 all embraced Carondelet’s Integral Student Outcomes of heart, faith, courage, and excellence and carried them into college and beyond. They all experienced challenges in college and life, and found success in remembering their roots and the sisterhood from their days at Carondelet.

Olivia Sydney Brown ’22: Lighting Up the Stage, Embracing Dreams

Olivia Sydney Brown ’22 is now making waves at Chapman University, where her passion for acting has led her to remarkable opportunities, including a memorable appearance on The Voice, showcasing her talent and determination on a national stage.

Carondelet to Capitol: The Remarkable Rise of Jalina Porter ’04

Celebrating the achievements of women and the transformative power of leadership and resilience.

High School (Reunion) Sweet Hearts

Why taking a chance and going to your high school reunion could lead you to the love of your life.

Carondelet Goes Green

After working toward Green Business Certification for two years at Carondelet, this alumna finally helped the school reach its environmentally friendly goals.

Giving a Voice to Little People

“I wanted to create opportunities for children to express themselves comfortably and freely in a safe place where they can be heard and treated as a whole child.

Pursuing all of which women is capable

How an introduction to genetics in high school biology inspired one alumna’s career. 

“How we eat is as important as what we eat” - Sobremesa

Sobremesa is an expression used in Spain regarding their attitude towards life and an attitude Nicole follows in life and her career.

Chase Your Dreams

Danielle Manifold ’11

I’m a First Generation college student in my family. I didn’t think much about school until my mom encouraged me to pursue higher education at the end of my sophomore year at Carondelet. She told me that I could do anything that I wanted as a woman - that my future was my decision, an opportunity to establish a career, that I deserved a chance to sketch out my dreams and then chase them.

High School to High Fashion

Sarah Gullixson ’17 is a fashion model living in NYC and remembers how Carondelet taught her to lift others up.

Barrys for Biden

Allison Barry ’15 & Lauren Barry ’17
Placed in battleground, two sisters find Biden campaign success and rediscover their familial bond.

Conan O’Brien writer, Laurie Kilmartin ’83, shares story of losing mother to COVID-19

Laurie Kilmartin ’83 is an Emmy Award-winning writer, mother, comedian, and author, who shared the passing of her mother with the world so people can see what losing a loved one during COVID-19 is truly like for their families.

Working for Sustainable Global Health Change

Danielle Piccinini ’06 - her Peace Corps experience in South Africa ignited her passion for sustainable Global Health change on a larger scale.  She is now a Senior Program Officer with John Hopkins Center for Communication Program.

Promoting Science Education for Young People @toxtalks_

Kendra Prutton ’12 is a Toxicology PhD student at the University of Colorado. She is committed to education and diversity in science and is encouraging all young women to consider a career in STEM - check her Instagram site toxtalks_

Career inspiration from CHS teacher

Destinee Cordeiro ’09

Carondelet means so much to me and is still ever present in my life 12 years after graduating in 2009. I was inspired to go after a career in journalism by my favorite English teacher, Ms. Ditzel, who would always say that I wrote my assignments as if they would be in a magazine.

Increasing Gender Equality in the Financial Industry

Laura Corso Hopkins ’01 has been working in the financial world since college, starting her career on the East Cost in NYC and at the FDIC in Washington, DC. She encourages women to pursue a career in finance and help increase gender equality in this field.

From Paris with Love

Briana Sapp Tivey ’99 left Cal Poly for Paris, France enjoying working & traveling abroad.  She is now settled in Santa Barbara sharing her passion for the natural world

Seattle State of Mind

Denise Hazlick ’83 has been living in Seattle for 25 years. She is an avid triathlete, an accomplished journalist, and works for Microsoft as an enablement strategist in the commercial partner organization.

Entrepreneur, Mother & Musician

Jennifer Sitko Skarakis ’87 is an accomplished graphic designer, mother of 3 girls, musician and entrepreneur. What started as a favor in college to design creative invitations and wedding announcements for her friends, led her to starting her third company, Sendo Invitations - an online event planning and management site.

DNA of a teacher

Nena Allegra Manuel ’14 is an elementary school teacher following in the footsteps of her mother. She comes from a long line of educators…so it must be in her DNA!