Audrey Powers '94

I had the great pleasure of visiting Mount de Sales in February to meet with students and teachers and to reflect on the impact Mount de Sales has had on my career and life.  As a former Mount de Sales athlete and a student interested in science and math, it is inspiring to see what the school has become in the 30 years since I graduated.  The gymnasium, athletic field, and performing arts center are great enablers of the team experiences that were so important during my time at MDS.  Meeting Sr. Albertine – an astrophysicist from Cal Tech teaching physics – and fielding questions from Ms. Ribblett’s AP Biology class gave me great pride at the progress MDS has made in its curriculum to develop our future female scientists.

The day I visited, I also had the great fortune of attending an alumnae open house.  I saw many familiar faces that I had not seen in decades, and some other faces that are still part of my daily life.  I was reminded of a few important things that have stayed with me since I graduated. 

The friends I made at Mount de Sales are still my closest friends today, and the memories we shared during our time in high school are the foundation of our relationships.  These women inspire me with their careers and families, and they have been my biggest support – encouraging me as I progressed through my career as an engineer and then as a lawyer – always quick to commiserate on the challenges we all faced in our journeys.  Each of them has shown me what faith looks like in their handling of the challenges they face.  They remind me what it is to be Christian as models of kindness, compassion, and loyalty in their everyday lives.  I consider myself so incredibly lucky to have called this group my family for almost 30 years (Julie, Rae, LL, I’m looking at you.)

The lessons I learned playing lacrosse at Mount de Sales are such an important part of my everyday life.  To rely on others for support and to have others rely on me, to work together towards a common goal, to share successes and failures and to learn from them and improve - I have carried those lessons with me to every other team experience in my career.  

I have had the great privilege of furthering humanity’s exploration of space and advocating for our amazing Earth.  I have experienced the wonders of God’s creation and observed first-hand the God-given aptitude of humans to create and discover.  I can trace to my roots at MDS my belief that God enables these amazing and awe-inspiring things to happen in the universe.  As a lawyer, I have learned a great deal about issues of social justice and have helped organizations progress equality and human rights.  We have amazing aptitude to support and defend our fellow humans, and that is the model of Christianity that I learned at MDS and that I hope that I model in my life. 

How fortunate that I was able to make this visit last month and to be reminded of my history and my connection to the great work still being done on this hill in Catonsville.

Audrey Powers ‘94