Each year, the Lisa Marie Santoro Scholarship Foundation hosts a luncheon to honor Lisa’s memory and recognize the most recent Scholarship recipient. The Lisa Marie Santoro Scholarship Foundation annually awards $5,000 to a young woman from Nazareth Academy who will be attending a four-year college or university and who participates in one of the co-curricular activities Lisa did during her time at Nazareth: cheerleading, poms or Roadrunner Club.
At the 2024 luncheon, we asked recipients how their Nazareth education continues to affect their lives, careers and communities.
How did/do you carry your Nazareth education with you in your career or acts of service?
Amy Klod Boyle ‘96: Scholarship, Service, Spirit and Unity and the Congregation of St. Joseph have played a vital role in shaping who I am and what I do. Service became a huge part of my Naz “school years” as I took part in the Service Teams and Roadrunner Club. These clubs allowed me to explore the world of giving back, doing for others in need and working toward a common goal to benefit others. Those ideals must have really resonated with me as I now work in the social service/nonprofit sector. Having the honor or returning to Naz as an employee later re-grounded me in these ideals while the professional experiences helped to really lay a solid foundation for the journey I was to take as a working mom.
Inspired by Lisa’s friendship and legacy, Amy now works in philanthropy for Pillars Community Health, an organization that allows her to make an impact on those in need by providing services related domestic and sexual violence, mental wellness and medical care.
Kristen Pawlowski Fischer ‘97: When it comes to the Pillar of Scholarship, I really valued the English classes – specifically the writing – during my time at Nazareth Academy. Later, when I attended Marquette University, I was shocked that people didn’t know how to write a research paper. The critical thinking and investigative spirit instilled in us as students made me an outstanding writer – bringing me years of success as a nonprofit grant writer.
My time on the dance team and then as captain my senior year gave me the opportunity to practice leadership amongst my peers, which was so important to my interpersonal/social skills as an adult navigating my professional career. Having that opportunity to grow into a position over the course of four years helped me understand not only how to grow as a person, but also what it takes to be a team member and how to be a true leader.
Finally, my time in the theatre was absolutely an inspiration – it was my greatest aspiration to be on stage, and the Naz drama program absolutely prepared me to jump in at Marquette University.
After several years of working in the Milwaukee-area theatre scene and several more raising her family, Kristen now works as an early childhood and youth music educator.
Megan Hawkins Sloup ‘10: My years at Nazareth were incredibly impactful. Nazareth not only provided me with an exceptional education but also instilled in me many of the values that have helped to shape my adult life. Following my time at Naz, I completed an undergraduate and masters degree in education and spent ten years teaching kindergarten and early childhood special education in the Brookfield/La Grange Park School District. My passion for education and my commitment to serving my community were sparked during my time at Nazareth in which I was surrounded by teachers and staff who were not only knowledgeable and thought-provoking but were also nurturing, dedicated and patient. My time at Nazareth was always incredibly positive. The atmosphere of care that I felt every day as a student was one that I then took with me as a teacher into my own classroom.
Megan spent 10 years teaching kindergarten and early childhood special education before currently taking some time to be home with her young son.
Caity Sarin ‘19: I carry my Nazareth education through creating community with others. In my graduate program and in my career, I am always looking to establish relationships through service and acts of kindness. I think back to my Nazareth family and how meaningful those relationships were to me. This has led me to create family and community no matter where I head next.
Caity works as a IV Therapy medical sales representative as she completes her last year of her master’s of public health at A.T. Still University. After graduation, she is eager to pursue a career in women’s health.
Megan Henehan ‘21: Nazareth instilled a sense of service to the Dear Neighbor that I have brought with me to college. While in Boston I have dedicated my time to serving in soup kitchens and women’s shelters. This has brought me so much joy and fulfillment in my college career that would not have been possible without Nazareth. My Nazareth education allowed me to develop my own personal values rooted in service and community inspired by Nazareth’s Four Pillars. My education has served as the foundation of my collegiate experience and of the young woman that I am today.
Megan is a senior at Boston College where she is pursuing a degree in international studies with a concentration in ethics and social justice and minor in English and French.
How do you continue to honor being a member of the Santoro Scholarship family?
AKB: Lisa meant a lot to me, and as a result, her family has become an extension of my own over the years. Her death affected my life profoundly, and while it took a while, professionally I have found that I can honor Lisa, the Santoro Family and their amazing legacy by working to help survivors and their families and really put an end to relationship violence. Additionally, the scholarship family has grown into a network of strong women that are available to lean on, ask questions and support each other.
KPF: Lisa and I were on the pom squad together during my freshman year. I’m the last recipient to have known her personally. I have many happy memories of Lisa in my life. She was a source of LIGHT above all else: always positive, smiling and laughing. I feel it’s my responsibility to instill within the later recipients the human side of Lisa – since I knew her – to remind them that she, like us, had big dreams for her life. And now it’s our obligation to live our very best lives so she can live on through our accomplishments. The supporters of the Lisa Santoro Scholarship Foundation support each recipient to honor Lisa’s legacy and all the things she would’ve accomplished had she not been taken from this earth. Since Lisa’s death, I always think of her when I see yellow butterflies. I see them dart across my path, and I’m always grateful for the reminder to be present, to be peaceful and to live my life to its very fullest potential – not only for myself and my family, but also for Lisa.
MHS: The love and support I have felt from the Santoro family is something I will forever cherish. The Santoros are incredibly inspiring, and I feel so honored to be a part of their scholarship family. The Santoro family takes a genuine interest in the lives of all of the amazing women who have received Lisa’s scholarship. I feel Lisa’s legacy even more so now that I am a parent myself. I aim every day to teach my son to live a life like that of Lisa and Mr. and Mrs. Santoro – one full of joy, resilience, strength and love.
CS: The Santoro Scholarship family has inspired me in more ways than one. I keep Lisa in my heart with everything that I do as a young woman. She has inspired me to be courageous, to be an advocate for others and to be compassionate in all ways of life.
What is your best wish for Nazareth Academy on the occasion of our 125th Anniversary?
AKB: Keep on keepin’ on! My best wish is that Naz continues to provide the next generation of leaders with deep roots in Scholarship, Service, Spirit, Unity and the tools to go out into the world and spread these pillars and their light for generations to come! It gives me hope for the world around us.
KPF: I wish that Nazareth continues to push good humans out into the world who are prepared academically, socially and spiritually to make a difference.
MHS: Nazareth has been a constant in my family for many years. Nazareth has provided my mom, sisters and me with lifelong friendships, an incredible support network, a strong faith and some of our fondest memories. My wish for Nazareth is that it continues to be the inclusive and nurturing place that it is. Here’s to 125 more years! Go Runners!
CS: My best wish for Nazareth Academy is to continue molding young minds to be well-rounded students, while also being inclusive of and compassionate to those around them. The students that are raised at Nazareth embody these traits and more.