“Why would anyone want to be on the Alumnae Board?” That’s the question I asked myself 10 years ago. I’m not a “joiner” – I’m shy with a lot of social anxiety. I get nauseous and my palms start to sweat just at the thought of speaking in public. I had never been involved with any type of governing boards or committees. I knew nothing about that kind of stuff and had nothing to offer – or so I thought.
When my oldest daughter was a freshman at Carondelet, parent service hours were required. One of my alumna friends told me the best way to get those hours was to attend an Alumnae Board meeting. “Carondelet has an Alumnae Board?! What in the world does that look like? Is it really boring? I don’t want to sit through a snooze-fest. Were these all the popular girls from high school ‘in crowds’ (which I had not been a part of)?” These were all the thoughts racing through my mind at that time. I felt like my teenage self all over again. My friend assured me that I would be pleasantly surprised if I gave it a try. Begrudgingly, I took a leap of faith and went to that meeting – sweaty palms and all. To this day, I am so grateful I did.
What I thought would be a bunch of boring ladies sitting around talking about mundane topics, was completely false. Instead, what I found was an array of friendly, vivacious and welcoming women of all ages who were not just sharing their funny stories about their times at Carondelet, but who were also dedicated to find ways to help our alma mater, as well as past, present and future Carondelet students. It turned out that these meetings were actually pretty fun. Plus, dinner was provided - a definite bonus.
After a year of attending monthly meetings (to get my service hours), I was asked to join the board. “Oh no – I have way too many things on my plate. I work and have three kids who all play sports. I don’t have any time to be a part of the board. Plus, I’m not creative enough to be a member.” I was assured that being a board member was easy – just go to meetings, share your thoughts and opinions and if you don’t like it, you can quit. No pressure! So, I took a deep breath and agreed to join the board. I am so happy I did!
Being a part of the Alumnae Board has been an incredible experience. I have made friends with so many fun and interesting women whom I would never have had the opportunity to meet. It is wonderful to have so many alumnae working together for the benefit of Carondelet High School and the entire Carondelet community. This entity is so important to me that I actually became Board President for four years. I had no hesitation to take on this role, either – which shocked me – the person with no knowledge of governing boards and nothing to offer. It turns out, I did have something to offer – my support and willingness to show up and help.
Seriously, if I could do all this, anyone can. I’m still a member of the board; I still work, have three kids and a million other things to do. I still enjoy attending board meetings where alumnae can get together to assist our beloved Carondelet and have fun doing so. Plus, dinner is always provided – so why not join the Alumnae Board?
To get involved or learn more about the Carondelet Alumnae Board, reach out to Lesley (Burke) Schooler ’96, or come to an upcoming meeting.