Welcome to the storytelling series that celebrates the lifelong friendships created here on campus.
Whatever the story of your Best Belles—the way you found one another, the milestones you've celebrated, or the support you provide to each other today—help us SHARE YOUR STORY. Click through the collection below, but keep checking back—there are always more #BestBelles stories to tell!
But first, this is the friend group that launched our series.
When Home is Where Your Girls Are
Mollie Meehan Baumer has the key to nine homes, each one promising the comfort found only with friends who have become family.
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Anna Grinzinger
Anna Grinzinger
Anna Grinzinger
Class of 2015
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Chloe Venskus ’15
Angelika Meyer-Pugh ’15
Kelsie Plesac ’15How did your friend group form?
Kelsie and I were going out for our first official weekend on campus freshman year, and we passed Chloe studying in her carrel doing homework (on a Friday night!). So we invited her to join us! I met Angelika later in my freshman year; I think I invited her to watch a movie. Sophomore year, Angelika, Kelsie, and I shared a bathroom in Le Mans (we called our set-up the faux quad). And senior year, Chloe and I shared a bathroom in Le Mans (which we used to traverse to each others rooms because we were each other's personal therapist—being psych majors, it was expected). I don't think there was a day we weren't together during our time at Saint Mary's.What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
Three weddings, ND football games, bridal showers, and pool parties, just to name a few!How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
We had Zoom "happy hours" during the pandemic!How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
Checking in once in a while, even if it is just to say "hi," or sending each other pictures of something funny that reminds us of each other. We all live far from each other, but whenever we are together, it's as if nothing has changed. -
Elizabeth Burkavage
Elizabeth Burkavage
Elizabeth Burkavage
Class of 2006
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Carrie (Orr) Chambers ’06
Jillian (Roth) Gill ’06
Maura Schoen ’06
Shannon (Culbertson) Thompson ’06How did your friend group form?
Shannon, Jillian and I were randomly assigned as roommates our freshman year in one of the amazingly gigantic quads in Holy Cross. Shannon was on the soccer team with Maura and Carrie, who basically became bonus roommates in our huge room!Our sophomore year, we realized that each of us aligned with one of the five senses: for example, Carrie was a master at concocting delicious meals and snacks at the dining hall, and Maura has striking blue eyes with perfect vision. It worked out so perfectly, and naturally it felt meant to be, and our friend group found a name, the Senses, that immediately stuck.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
The number of milestones we’ve celebrated as a group is incredible—birthdays, new jobs, engagements, weddings, births. Each is filled with love and joy, but it truly is the casual reunions spent talking, laughing, and reminiscing well into the night that fill our hearts.How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
Supporting long-distance friends can be tricky when you can’t just show up on their doorstep with cookies and a hug, so we try to do the next best thing. A care package is sent to the newly-postpartum, first-time mom; a DoorDash gift card is sent to the family dealing with too many Covid cases; pros and cons are suggested to the one debating a career change. Words of support and encouragement are key!How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
Regular reunions are a big priority for us. Our goal is to meet quarterly, typically in one of our respective cities, but even if we don’t hit that mark, we do the best we can to maximize the time we do have together. The number of Google docs and schedules we’ve amassed over the years is remarkable!Our group text thread (with the bell emoji, of course) is filled with constant updates, and our shared photo album is always good for a walk down memory lane.
Last summer, we celebrated our “20 years of friendship” with a trip to Asheville, NC!
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Kathleen E. Urda
Kathleen E. Urda
Kathleen E. Urda
Class of 1997
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Bronwyn McAuliffe Azzarello ’97
Ellen Duggan Ariston ’97
Kristen DiNovo Maxwell ’97
Laura Smith Nocera ’97How did your friend group form?
We all lived in singles in Regina Hall as freshmen and just clicked. We became known as the "Dude Posse," as we all called each other ‘dude’ for whatever reason. I was very shy in high school, but these girls brought me out of my shell and made me laugh harder than anyone I had ever met. That's still true for all of us.What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
We have had many, but of late, we try to plan a trip or two every year. This year, we had a terrific long weekend in New Braunfels, Texas, just hanging out together at a lovely house we rented.How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
During the pandemic, we did Zoom happy hours, but we have also been there for each other as we handle parental aging and death, job stress, dating, marriage, kids—you name it.How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We have a group text chain and pretty much check in daily. Often, it's just someone sending a funny meme or quick check-in, but it's really wonderful. -
Molly Holzrichter
Molly Holzrichter
Molly Holzrichter
Class of 2001
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Lee-Catherine (Barth) Hicks ’02
Panay Bell
Melissa (Pennington) Bassler
Kisria (Born) Rechul
Desiree (Hollis) DeweyHow did your friend group form?
Melissa, Kisria, Desiree, and I all met freshman year. Oddly enough, Kisria and I grew up 10 miles away from each other but never met until college. Kisria and Melissa met in McCandless Hall, Desiree and I met in Le Mans Hall. The following year, Panay and Lee-Catherine joined Saint Mary’s, and joined the crew. Luckily enough, we crossed each other’s paths and instantly clicked.What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
Until I went to college, I don’t think I really knew what it meant to be a good friend. These ladies helped me grow, be a better person, and have always been my biggest supporters. I can’t imagine not having them in my life! We’ve all stayed in touch throughout the years, and of course were in (and at) each others weddings. [We] visit each other frequently, and even some of our kids have become friends. We live all over the country (Florida, DC, Wisconsin, Texas), and Kisria lives in Poland, but we still remain close.How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
When Covid first started and the world shut down, we started a weekly Zoom call. We’ve kept it going and are closer than ever! In fact, my oldest daughter McKenna, who is a freshman at Saint Mary’s College, and I are going to Poland to visit Kisria and her daughter for fall break in a few weeks!How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We text almost daily and we have our weekly Zoom call. Of course we aren’t all always on it, but we keep it going! We laugh a lot, listen a lot, and give each other life advice, kid advice, relationship advice. I would trust them with anything!People in the picture: Molly (8 months pregnant), Marcie Livesay Robinson (2001), Melissa (bride), Desiree, Lee-Catherine, and Panay. Kisria was living out of the country and not in the picture.
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Katie Kohler Dalhoff
Katie Kohler Dalhoff
Katie Kohler Dalhoff
Class of 2009
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Allison Rider Dzingle ’09
Kristen Anderson Zwieg ’09
Clare Heintz Butler ’09
Jameson Loubsky Pizarro ’09
Jayde Kennedy Ball ’09
Emily Perry Sims ’09
Emily Tarnacki Nardozzi ’09How did your friend group form?
We met the first week of freshman year in 2nd and 3rd Annex. There were two groups of roommates, and some of us knew each other before college. We became fast friends and were pretty much inseparable for all four years.What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
It's been such a neat experience meeting each others' kids. Between us, we now have 20+ children. It's definitely on our bucket list to rent a big house and go on a trip with the whole gang. We graduated almost 15 years ago and have moved all over the country (Chicago, Michigan, Philadelphia, Orlando, Minneapolis), and we still manage to keep in touch. Allison, in particular, has found a way to categorize and digitize all our pictures from college and has a treasure trove of all our best memories. Whenever we are chatting in a group text, she always drops one in of some fun night or a terrible outfit that brings us right back to SMC.
It's impossible to pick just one college memory, but if I had to pinpoint one of our best moments, it would be when we hosted our Christmas party senior year (pictured). We had next-door units at Irish Crossings and had a blast that night. We all also have a lot of fun memories from the Senior Week Cubs game, all of our football tailgaters, and lots of laughs on a typical day, just hanging at the dining hall or in our dorms.How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
We try to get together as much as we can with however many as can make it. We also got into monthly Zooms during Covid, and we always text to keep in touch. We always pick up right where we left off and end up laughing at all the fun we used to have.How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We do our best to see each other at weddings, for babies, football games, and girls’ trips whenever we can. We've visited each other on work trips, girls’ trips to DC and Savannah, and a few of us have even met up in Disney World while we were there with our families at the same time. Even when the entire group can't get together, as many of us try to get together as possible since we're all over the country now. -
Emily (Schmitt) Baroz
Emily (Schmitt) Baroz
Emily (Schmitt) Baroz
Class of 2012
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Kamara (Umbaugh) Russo '12
Katherine (Kummeth) Hollkamp '13 (Began 2012)
How did your friend group form?
Kat and Emily met at the freshman retreat in their earliest days at SMC. Kami lived next door to Emily in McCandless Hall. Even though we all had different majors and extracurriculars, the trio became inseparable.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
We sat together at every football game, traveled to spring break in Cabo during our senior year, and spent many late nights playing Mario Party and sharing wine and pizza in Kat's dorm room. We never lived together because we all agreed that, as sisters, we'd drive each other crazy! We've been blessed to have all been bridesmaids in each other's weddings, two of which took place in Holy Spirit Chapel. We have flown across the country for special events, from bachelorettes to baby showers. Recently, Kat and Emily fulfilled a decades-late promise to get matching French Cross tattoos!! (Kami passed on getting inked, but she was certainly with us in spirit!)
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
When Kat's wedding was impacted by Covid-19, we came together to make the occasion as special as possible. We've also, all three, struggled with similar health issues, and we've been able to support each other through that process.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
Kami leads the charge by sending at least 20 memes a day to our group chat. (Just kidding, sort of!) We're constantly texting each other with updates on our lives, funny stories, and pictures. We're also very committed to traveling to see each other, whether that means driving 10.5 hours from New York to South Bend, or flying in for a whirlwind weekend. We are never, ever, out of touch. -
Sarah Clarke Madigan
Sarah Clarke Madigan
Sarah Clarke Madigan
Class of 1983
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Elisabeth Johnson Holod ’83
Jeanann Georgas Ficker ’83
Loretta Barrett Evans ’83
Peggy Pieschel VanHoomissen ’83
Mary Beth O’Brien ’83
Maribeth Blackburn Canent ’83
Pat Zanolli Cox ’83
Monique Fedor Bongartz ’83
Jackie Wasni ’83
Christine Lenyo ’84 (she is a key member despite being one year younger!)
How did your friend group form?
Most of us were placed in Regina South 4th floor freshman year; others became friends through friends, or when we moved to McCandless Hall sophomore year.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
We have always kept in touch and occasionally seen each other over the years in smaller groups—several lived near NYC right after graduation, others in the Chicago area. Several attended reunions.
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
We made a huge effort in 2019 to gather to mark 40 years since we met. Eight of us gathered in Duxbury, MA. It was as if no time had passed. We shared joys, sorrows, and struggles, and the overall comment was that being together helped us rediscover that strong, independent woman we had been as a Saint Mary’s student. We also laughed a lot! We vowed to not let 40 years go by before we gathered again.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We met over Zoom during Covid. We reunited again in September 2021 in Massachusetts and again last weekend (2023) in Minnesota. -
Jane Krivickas
Jane Krivickas
Jane Krivickas
Class of 2002
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Elizabeth Cenova Betts ’02
Jane Kulm Krivickas ’02
Caroline Eckert Marks ’02
Beth Gervain Murin ’02
Christina Holdvogt Wiencke ’02
How did your friend group form?
During the first few weeks of our freshman year in 1998, we began meeting in pairs. On September 5, 1998, a large group of freshman girls walked over to our first Notre Dame home game. There were quite a few people, and while we walked down the Avenue, a few started to form smaller groups. On that walk is where Jane and Christina met. Christina was in choir with Beth, and that is how they met. Also a few weeks into school, Jane met Liz in the bathroom on the third floor of Holy Cross Hall. Liz and Jane found themselves hanging out and talking for hours in that bathroom. Around the same time during those first few weeks, Christina met Caroline in a HUST class. Creating a family-like connection at dinner was important to us. All the pairs came together, and we began making sure that we scheduled dinner as a group every night, even if that meant we were eating at the early hour of 4:45 p.m. so that Christina and Beth could head to choir at 5:30 p.m.! We sat at the same table in the Noble Family Dining Hall every day, and somewhere in the middle of that freshman year, we began referring to ourselves as “The Table,” a name that sticks to this day.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
The Table, or at least some combination of, have been together for many moments. We have been readers, singers, and bridesmaids at each other’s weddings. Liz and her husband drove across the country from California to Chicago to make it to Jane’s wedding just in the nick of time. For the two of us in Chicago, we have gone to the hospital to welcome new additions to the family. One of our best Table stories, though, was back in 2021. The Table had lost touch with Caroline for a few years. Liz and her family were visiting Acadia National Park and after reaching a scenic view on a hike sat down to take a rest. Liz commented that the hike was a bit more strenuous than advertised when a fellow hiker agreed with the comment. Liz looked over to see who responded only to realize it was Caroline and her family, coincidentally also visiting Acadia National Park. The five of us were back!
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
It is consistent and non-judgmental communication that sustains the Table. While the five of us live in three different states and unfortunately can’t physically see each other on a regular basis, we know that we can grab our phone to text or call at any time. We all have something we bring to the Table to help one another get through a challenging situation. Some of us are the go-to for supportive, thoughtful words. Others of us add humor. A few of us offer practical perspectives or advice. With our various backgrounds and experiences, there is always one of us that can empathize and relate to what another member of the Table needs. And of course, sharing a meal at an actual table sustains us, too.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
The Table text thread is in use almost every day. Whether we have something exciting to share, need to vent about work, commiserate about parenting struggles, share SMC or ND news, or want to share a funny meme, we reach out to our group chat. Since our 20th reunion, we have been trying to get all together in person once a year. This past spring when we got together, Caroline had matching bracelets made for us all that spell out “The Table” in morse code. Now, when we wear those, the members of the Table can be connected regardless of location. -
Eileen H. Goodspeed
Eileen H. Goodspeed
Eileen H. Goodspeed
Class of 1984
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Shari Smith Bescher ’84
Moira Taylor Castro ’84
Beverly Balisteri Cronin ’84
Beth Aisthorpe Ebinger ’84
Kathleen Brassil Finckle ’84
Colleen Dwyer Kennedy ’84
Carolin Cronin Mannion ’84
Madeline Hock Marsden ’84
Sharon Connerly McMillan ’84
Claire Paulson Morabito ’84
Elaine Hocter Moore ’84
Mary Paolucci Murphy ’84
Lisa Kamhout Shannon ’84
Allison Zern Sturm ’84
How did your friend group form?
Most of the members of this group lived as freshmen in Regina Hall singles during the 1980-81 school year and became friends. Our group naturally grew as we met others in our classes.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
Throughout our four years together, we shared countless experiences of joy: being away from home together, learning together, cheering on ND sports teams together, going to $9 concerts together, and living life together. We have attended our SMC reunions every five years, always coordinating our room choices, and tailgated together at many ND football games.The summer before we turned 50, a text chain was started to organize a reunion weekend in Chicago/South Bend for a Bruce Springsteen concert and ND football game. That text chain continues today and is a source for us to our lives: our faith, birthdays, weddings, loss of loved ones, becoming grandparents, and all sorts of simple chitchat.
Last year, the text chain included joyful birthday wishes highlighting the special qualities and accomplishments of each friend on her sixtieth birthday.
This same text chain took on a much more serious role when Eileen was diagnosed with leukemia.
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?Written by Eileen: In the fall of 2020, I was diagnosed with leukemia. From that moment on, my SMC friends carried me through several rounds of chemo, a bone marrow transplant, and its aftermath. They literally “loved me through it.”
At the beginning, it was suggested to me that I ask someone to be my advocate. Knowing that my former roommate, Mary Paolucci Murphy, is a cancer nurse at the Cleveland Clinic, I asked her if she would consider doing it. She did not hesitate, and said she would be honored. For two-and-a-half years, she has phoned in to every doctor’s appointment, spoken with hospital staff, and answered questions from my family. Mary has been invaluable on this journey by providing constant support and guidance. She is truly living out the values instilled in her by the Saint Mary’s nursing program.
Throughout my illness, my SMC friends sent me many special things to cheer me up… countless prayers (including doing Zoom rosaries to pray for my health), ND sweatshirts, texts with lots of heart/prayer/shamrock emojis, calls, cards, Irish blankets, SMC socks, visits by local friends when I reached my 100th post-transplant day, and beautiful flowers when I reached my one-year re-birthday. Eventually, with the motivation of my wonderful doctor, I was ready to travel again, and Moira, Carolin, Kathy and I met up on Valentine’s Day, 2023, in Houston to see Bruce Springsteen. We were ready to relive our first concert in January of 1981 at the ND ACC, our fiftieth birthdays at Wrigley Field, and enter into our sixties with Bruce. We sang at the top of our lungs and danced the night away. Moira continued the joy by driving me to San Antonio to meet my blood marrow donor! What a gift to both meet my Angel Donor and share this joyful moment with a dear Saint Mary’s friend in person, with all the others there in spirit. Shortly after our visit, my donor said she was amazed at the strength of our college friendships. They shone through right from the moment we met!
These types of friendships are so rare. This group taught me that through every challenge, there are many blessings. I am beyond blessed and thank God for the gift of my wonderfully strong, talented, compassionate, devout, fun, and devoted group of Saint Mary’s friends every day.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
The text chain is always there for us. We use it regularly to keep in touch and also see each other in person whenever the opportunity presents itself.We are counting down the days to Reunion ’24!
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Elizabeth Klee
Elizabeth Klee
Elizabeth Klee
Class of 2011
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Eilis Wasserman ’12
How did your friend group form?
Eilis is part of my friend group that formed when I was a resident advisor my sophomore year.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
Eilis and I have been friends for a long time and have shared many memories, watching movies, eating meals, and many more. I remember when she visited my parents' house for the first time and asked for ketchup to put on her steak! I think of this every time I watch Pretty Woman because it is one of Eilis' favorite movies and Julia Roberts puts ketchup on a steak in a fancy restaurant. :)
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
It is good to have each other to use as a sounding board to talk about various troubles.How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We mainly call each other on the phone about once a week. -
Molly (Schleeter) Bell
Molly (Schleeter) Bell
Molly (Schleeter) Bell
Class of 1997
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Lindsey (Friend) Moloney ’97
How did your friend group form?
Lindsey and I met while fulfilling our work study hours building sets for plays in the scene shop at O’Laughlin Auditorium.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
Lindsey and I became roommates at SMC, and ended up marrying roommates from Notre Dame. I was Lindsey’s maid of honor, and she was my matron of honor the following year.How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
A couple years after college, Lindsey and her husband moved to Dublin, Ireland, for her husband to attend medical school. Even during those six years, we visited one another several times. There were a few late-night phone calls across the ocean getting us through homesickness, job stress and the growing pains of young marriages.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
Lindsey and I now live on the same street (five houses apart) in the Milwaukee area. There are not words adequate enough to describe how special it is to have not only my best friend, but also my husband’s best friend down the street. Our kids are also close to each other. We call each other “the family we choose.” -
Catherine Bruno
Catherine Bruno
Catherine Bruno
Class of 2018
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Ana Marie Daley ’18
Katherine Frego Foley ’18
Basia Pawlica ’19
Kayse Brie McGough ’18
Catherine Anne Bruno ’18
Makenzie Duncan Sinks ’18
Emma Suzanne Foley ’18
Mary Margaret Green ’18
Erin Lanae Patterson ’18
Melissa Isabel Montes ’18
Isabella Christine Speedon ’18
Rachel Ann Bonek ’18
Jennifer Mary Hagenauer ’18
Sarah Nicole Kosinski ’18
Julie Weilbaker Funfrock ’18
Sarah Rose Catharine Kaltenbach ‘18
Victoria Millar Gadient ’19
Tara Anne Enright ’18
How did your friend group form?
It all started back in the fall of 2014, when eight of us lived in Holy Cross Hall (six of us were in 1T #GoStars). As classes began, at least 13 of us were enrolled in the same classes such as general chemistry or general biology. In the end, we could not escape our best friends as we overlapped with six biology majors, five math majors and two nursing majors. Yet, looking back nine years later, a lot of our friendships formed in the dining hall. Each of us has a story or two of how someone walked up to them, shared a table during the lunch rush, and never left. As these bonds started to form throughout our first two years, many of us lived together or as neighbors in our favorite resident halls. As we entered the fall of our sophomore year, we were busy with our different schedules. Between classes, labs, practices, and extracurricular activities, I wanted to ensure we could all still hang out. The PPC (Party Planning Committee) was created as an email chain to streamline communication and ensure everyone was aware of upcoming social activities to do together. Our first event was a dinner surprise at Olive Garden for Ana’s 19th birthday—it was a smashing success. During our junior and senior year, the PPC continued to share information about various campus activities, Notre Dame Football tailgates with Tory and her family, Notre Dame Band concerts, Saint Mary’s Volleyball, Basketball or Softball games, Irish Dance or Saint Mary’s Dance Team performances, hosted dorm room movie nights and of course, more birthday dinners and celebrations. To this day, I use the same email list to stay in contact with everyone as we continue our lives across the country. Within the submission is a map (Figure 1) portraying how we all met and stayed connected, especially our first year at Saint Mary’s.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
Since the size of our group is large, it is hard to have everyone present at every event. Yet, we have not let this prevent us from celebrating life moments in smaller groups. As a well-educated group of individuals, we have celebrated many graduations. We started in 2019 with Tory and Basia, who graduated from Saint Mary’s with their nursing degree. That same year, we celebrated many Notre Dame graduates as well: Ana, Emma, Rachel, Erin, and Sarah earned their engineering degrees while Tara and Melissa earned their master’s degrees. Many of us continued to challenge ourselves academically, leading Makenzie, Sarah, Jenny, Kayse, Isabella, Ana, Emma, and Rachel to successfully earn master’s degrees across various disciplines. In the spring of 2022, Julie earned her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine and Mary will follow suit in the coming spring. Over the last few years, many of us have also gathered to celebrate the marriages of Kayse, Julie, Makenzie, Tory, and Katie. During the Zoom days, Melissa surprised me with a 25th Taylor Swift-themed Zoom birthday party, where many of my friends joined dressed in their favorite Taylor Swift era. During the fall, many return to South Bend to spend time together with Tory and her family at their tailgate and cheer on Notre Dame football. Of course, for the everyday moments, we have continued to be there for each other in many ways: over text messages, SnapChat group chats, all-night Zoom calls, weekend getaways, weekly phone calls, exploring new cities, the birth of two babies, surprise engagements, bachelorette parties, bridal showers, the Taylor Swift Eras Tour and most recently, the Class of 2018’s five-year reunion. For the moments when we all cannot come together to celebrate, we are always sure to share the joy in the next newsletter to our favorite Belles.
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
Over the last six years, we have all been through many life changes—we moved, changed jobs, completed graduate school, missed our friends, and often our home away from home, Saint Mary’s. Despite this, it has always been nice to know your best friends were only a phone call away. In our everyday lives, we have all been challenged or had to handle an unexpected moment that warranted a venting session to our friends. Most notably, we supported Tory and Basia as they worked tirelessly in the hospitals as essential workers throughout the pandemic. We often spent time together through all-night phone calls, held virtual game nights, sent handwritten letters, and even completed a special edition of the newsletter. We have also endured a heartbreaking experience, but I will omit sharing details about this situation for the sake of privacy. However, for us, that moment of sorrow was a somber reminder of the importance of friendship. Those are the moments when you want nothing more than to call your best friends, be there for one another in any capacity and remind each other just how much you love them.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
For the next part of the submission, I switched the questions to best portray our story. Within my first year of graduating, I had undergone the transition from Saint Mary’s to graduate school. I was in a new city, missing my friends, and wishing there was a better way to stay connected. I had different ideas, but nothing seemed sustainable. In the summer of 2019, I met with Emma, and the two of us were catching up on what was new with ourselves and our friends. In this conversation, Emma realized she did not know much about anybody after graduation, and so she jokingly suggested starting a newsletter. The newsletter idea sparked primarily because some of our friends do not have social media, so it made it more challenging to regularly keep up with their lives. With this in mind, I brought back the PPC email list, excitedly drafted the email, and officially started our friend group newsletter! It was originally called Smicks in the Cities and renamed in Summer of 2021 to The Avenue Review. Today, I send out an all-call for submissions about twice a year to the Belles, asking them to include any news they want to share, photos, and more! As Editor-in-Chief, I construct the newsletter and ensure the contents include all our life updates, most current contact information, and birthdays. Over the last four years, our newsletter has become one of the most joyful experiences of my life: creating, editing, proofreading, and sharing it with all my very best friends. For us, our newsletter has been a sustainable means for keeping us all in touch with one another. We are all scattered across the country in three different time zones, enduring long-term relationships, different work schedules, balancing graduate or medical school, one (almost two) completing residency, and two enjoying motherhood. Yet, despite these challenges, it allows us to have an almost personal communication with our 17 friends. To us, the newsletter is like a personally written letter to the Belles and Makenzie’s greeting sums it up best— “To All the Belles I’ve Loved Before.” -
Christina Ugo
Christina Ugo
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s. Provide class years:
Melissa Fuze McMasters, Jill Reidinger Cole, Emily Unger France, and Chris Knych Ugo—all class of 1997
How did your friend group form?
We all met in the fall of 1993. It was our freshman year, and we all lived in single rooms in Regina North and kept our doors open all the time! Emily and Chris had rooms right next door to each other!
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
It is hard to pick one moment. We have celebrated professional accomplishments, weddings, the births of children and grandchildren, birthdays, and many more occasions together over the years. I can’t imagine not having these wonderful Saint Mary’s friends in my life!
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
Recently, each one of us has lost a parent. We have been there to support one another through our grief and navigating this new chapter in our lives. It was such a comfort seeing the faces of my #BestBelles at the funeral for my father recently.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We talk or text almost daily! We still plan girls' weekends and see each other several times a year! We live in three different cities between the four of us, but still manage to find the time to keep in touch and get together.
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Maureen Sajbel Wallenfang
Maureen Sajbel Wallenfang
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s. Provide class years:
Sixty-six of us, including about a dozen male and female students from Notre Dame, spent the 1975-1976 sophomore school year in Rome. We created friendships that have endured nearly 50 years.
How did your friend group form?
Many of us knew each other from our Italian classes or dorms freshman year. But it was being together in Rome that started our strong bond. We traveled through Europe and Northern Africa together in small groups of mostly two to six people. Our entire class went on field trips to places like Pompeii and Naples. We lived on the top two floors of Rome’s Tiziano Hotel as well as in a nearby pensione. It was before cell phones and the Internet, so our communication with family stateside was severely limited. Our classmates became our family that year.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
Dozens from our Rome group continue to meet for a special night within Saint Mary’s Reunions, and it’s part of the Reunion that many of us treasure the most. At the 40th
Reunion, we all became 19-year-olds again, watching and cheering on our younger selves during a slideshow from that magical year. The photo attached here was taken of some Rome classmates during the 45th Reunion in 2023.How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
We’ve been supportive of each other through many of life’s difficult transitions, including serious health concerns, divorce, and financial issues.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
Our Rome classmate, Janet Israel Borst, has been the glue that keeps us together. She has been the chief organizer of our Rome reunion over the last few decades. Others have jumped in to help with a book club and side trips for Rome pals.
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Nicole (O'Toole) Peterson
Nicole (O'Toole) Peterson
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s. Provide class years:
Karly Surman ('15), Meghan (Roder) Hamlin ('15), Rosie (McSorley) Carlino ('13), Christina Wenn ('15), Kelly Konya ('15), Mandy O'Sullivan ('15), Julia Ritter ('15), Theresa McSorley ('18), Emily (Scanlon) Siegert ('15), Audrey Kiefer ('15), Abbie Scanlon ('19), Rachel Sinchak ('15), and Grace McSorley ('15)
How did your friend group form?
A cohort of us met studying abroad in Rome, some met studying in Ireland, and most of us reconnected back on campus when our groups sort of merged together. Then, the majority of us ended up in Chicago after graduating, and the rest is history!
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together— either in person or from afar?
One of our favorite traditions is a yearly Friendsgiving (which we like to call "Smicksgiving"), where we all come together the week or so before Thanksgiving with significant others, siblings, and now our husbands and children, too!
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
Our group is very devoted to the power of prayer. Any time any of us has a family member going through an illness or a difficult time, we will send out a text asking for prayers. Now, as I am preparing to welcome my first baby, I get frequent texts from the girls letting me know they are praying for my baby. I never feel alone because even when I am not physically with them, I know we are connected and always praying for each other!
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
When we were recent graduates living in Chicago after graduating in 2015, we were an instant family. Most of us were roommates with each other at some point; we really were each other's chosen family. We had weekly dinners, went to Cubs games, went on girls' trips, and were each other's whole lives. Even as some of us have moved out of the area, gotten married, and started families, we still always show up for each other for the "big" events. When I passed the bar exam, got engaged, got married, and now, as I am welcoming my first baby, they have all shown up for me in so many ways. Even as our lives change and we get busier, our sisterhood and bond remain the same.
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Kelly Kilmer-Mullagh
Kelly Kilmer-Mullagh
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s. Provide class years:
Angela McNulty Bannon, 1996 Megan Bruchas Brunson, 1996 Kelly Kilmer-Mullagh, 1996 Jennifer Dyjak Lungren, 1996 Molly Ziroli Dyer, 1997 Lori Gaddis Kevin, 1996 Kristen Ross O’Connor, 1996 Stacey Reding Sutter, 1996
How did your friend group form?
Angela: Roommates/friends since college
Megan: I received a letter in the mail from a randomly selected roommate. Although not
unusual for most colleges, it truly was winning the lottery. What was a name on paper
became the friendship of a lifetime and a core group of friends I can’t live without. I remember
vividly walking down a narrow hallway of Queens Court in Le Mans Hall (at the time, the rooms
were doubles, not singles). What the walls divided by room numbers became a community of
open doors and instant friendships. It was the formation of a few of us then stretched to within
the next three years, with seemingly many of us having nothing in common. We span all
geographical locations, our majors are nothing alike, and our courses of interest are so varied.
It was an unlikely crew that has been together for 30+ years.
Kelly: Megan and I were paired up as roommates our freshman year in Queen’s Court and
never looked back. During freshman move-in, Kristen lived across the hall from us and came
over to borrow a hammer or drill. Kristen also played basketball for SMC, where she met Lori.
Lori was already friends with Jennifer and Angela, and before we knew it, all of us were hanging
out together in Le Mans or over at Notre Dame dorm parties. Funny enough, Lori and I didn’t like
each other initially. We were both asked to the same ND dance by the same guy and then
dumped by the same guy. Once we figured it out, we were bonded for life! Molly and Stacey transferred to SMC our junior year and lived down the hall from Megan and I in McCandless and
ironically, Stacey came down to borrow a hammer during move-in. Molly and Megan were both
nursing majors as well. Probably the most random way of meeting the best core group of friends.
Jennifer: Lori lived next door to me freshman year, and Angela was Mary’s roommate.
I honestly don’t remember how the rest of us became friends. It was like one day we
were just all hanging out. I think it was because Lori and Kristen were on the basketball team together.
Molly: Stacey and I were two junior transfer students living in McCandless Hall. We quickly
became friends with the other juniors on our floor (Megan & Kelly). We were welcomed
into their friend group and the rest is history!
Lori: Le Mans Hall has much to do with it. We were all there freshman year, and were drawn to
the same dumb boys, so ended up riding many a shuttle back and forth to Notre Dame.
Ross and I played basketball together (not well) which solidified our relationship over
the years and then some.
Kristen: I met Kelly and Megan the first day of freshman move-in as they lived across the
hall from me in Queen’s Court. Gaddis (aka Lori) and I became friends through basketball
and that’s how I met her friends. Then in my junior year, I met Stacey in one of my
Communication classes and she was friends with Molly. I knew we’d be fast friends because
she was always smiling, wearing comfortable sweatpants and a Mickey Mouse hat.
Stacey: I met Molly during Junior Transfer Orientation and then I met Megan and Kelly when
I borrowed some tools during move-in. I then met Kristen in a Communications class with
Dr. Pauley. With Kristen, I always thought to myself “Oh, she answers those questions funny,”
and I wanted to be friends with her. As far as Lori, Ang, and Jen, I met them through Kristen,
Kelly and Megan. After that, the group was formed.What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together— either in person or from afar?
Angela: Too many to name: every wedding, every baby, every professional accomplishment, Zoom parties through Covid. Megan’s online Gala through Covid was pretty cool, too.
Megan: Well, without saying, we have shared countless moments from weddings, babies,
grad degree celebrations. However, the most meaningful to me was a surprise Zoom call
during the height of Covid. We had been meeting monthly and checking in on each other
over Zoom, but the group surprised me with a celebration dressed in their SYR best online.
At the time, I was President of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses (AACN) and
the Presidents Ball and Reception was cancelled, as was our annual conference. The year was
rough for me, an advocation for the front lines, working in a COVID-ICU and representing nurses
at the national level. What was a simple Zoom call ended up being a cherished celebration
and the warm hug I needed at the perfect time when the rest of the world was in chaos.
Only they understood what I needed at that time, and they knocked it out of the park.
Kelly: I lived in Canada away from everyone for about seven years before moving back to the
States for my husband’s military career. Obviously we all celebrated weddings, babies,
and accomplishments for everyone, but for me, having my SMC girls and best friends fly to
Ottawa, Ontario, to celebrate our wedding was huge for me. It takes a lot to fly to a wedding,
but to fly out of the country and have Kristen, Megan, Molly, and Lori all have babies (and bring
them!!) really showed me that these girls are my “Ride or Die” friends for life. I think the other
moments that really stick out for me are when we can get together for our Girls' Weekends.
We couldn’t meet as much when all our kids were smaller, but over time, we have really made
a strong commitment to see each other every other year, if not every year. We’ve been to Tulsa,
Atlanta, Manhattan Beach, Chicago, Breckenridge, Upstate New York, and many smaller reunions
to truly celebrate the amazing friendships we have with each other.
Jennifer: Our last two trips to Colorado and Upstate New York have been the best.
Molly: We have celebrated weddings, having babies, raising children/teenagers and taking kids to
college. We have always made time to meet up at our SMC girls weekends. Although we rarely
see each other, when we do see each other in person, we all pick up right where we left off!
Lori: So many come to mind? Weddings, babies, but that seems standard. The best damn Spring
Break in South Padre Island, 1994. My confirmation my senior year. Reunions were a GD BLAST.
Megs’ becoming AACN President and us showing up in our formal gowns during COVID.
Kristen: For me, weddings, babies, and zoom calls with kids occasionally popping in to say
hello are the highlights.
Stacey: The reunions where all of us are together, or even in small groups, have been pretty
special. Living in Chicago at the same time as Lori, Ang, and Kristen was pretty memorable, too.
Weddings were always great as our friendship really is “during sickness and in health.”How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
Angela: Laughter, listening, compassion, and love.
Megan: It has morphed into many things, from Zoom chats, birthday cards, funny gifts,
and visits between 1-2 of us when in each other’s town. We have a group text that
transcends almost a daily conversation, ranging from the most unusual to the most serious.
It is a simple alert from a phone but a reminder of the deep connections we have even when
we share a joke, meme, or a personal challenge.
Kelly: Showing grace and kindness without ever needing to be asked. Knowing that the
support will always be there regardless. Listening to what is truly needed with no judgment.
Jennifer: I love that we can be open and share on our group text chat. Spending time
together on our trips also reconnects us.
Molly: We started a group facetime during Covid. The pandemic gave us time to
re-connect and our group chat really helped us support each other. Also, last year,
five of us had girls starting college. Our group chat helped us support each other as
we experienced the change of sending a child off to college.
Lori: I think Megan’s AACN Presidency/formal dress Covid call is a great example.
We had fallen out of any consistent contact with each other. Not any fights, just
leading our busy lives. Covid offered us a chance to reconnect, and we kept up consistently.
From there, we had intentional get-togethers, planned trips that have been so special
and memorable. We are now in a good pattern where we have planned the next trip as we
wrapped up the last.
Kristen: We make time for each other, we check in and listen to each other. Sharing
memories from school always brings up laughter.
Stacey: For me, my friendships sustained me during my health challenges. Just
knowing that my friends were there and hearing from everyone made it so much easier to deal with.How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
Angela: We show up for each other, period. In person, online, text, photos.
They are my people, my rock.
Kelly: We maintain this amazing connection by simply just being there for each other.
I have never doubted being able to count on any of these women, and I know that they
feel the exact same way. The love and respect we have for each other and for everyone’s
family is a once in a lifetime experience.
Jennifer: It is not easy to maintain the connections. I think that we do well sharing
in our group text and individual conversations. This past trip, personally, made me realize
that I need to do better at keeping up with my friends individually. The blessing is that we
have such a strong foundation and that the time apart is okay because we have so much at
home to take care of and we will always be there for each other.
Molly: Our group text string keeps us all connected! It’s a way to share events going on
in your life and find out what is going on in a friend’s life. Together we celebrate the good
times and support friends when needed. Although we are spread out across the country,
we all know that friends are just a text away!
Lori: You can never go wrong with an ongoing, hilarious meme and TikTok-filled text thread.
And thankfully no one is on Android to ruin it – otherwise, they’d be kicked out. For real.
Kristen: I love that we keep our text thread going – the texts are always fun. Making sure
that we plan the next trip is vital to keeping this friendship going as well and having a
friend like Kelly who is typing this up as I drive for me is amazing.
Stacey: We keep up these friendships through phone calls, Zoom calls, and text messages.
Reunions with just our friend group are the best—we are committed to doing whatever
we need to do to see each other and enjoy each other’s company. -
Megan Hurley Nadzam
Megan Hurley Nadzam
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s. Provide class years:
Jennifer Dodds Miklavcic '94
Tina Pilcavage '94
Valerie Hicks Murray '94
Kelly Higgins Hanson '94
Kari Marshall Wojciechowski '94
Mandy Eisler Hosner '94How did your friend group form?
We have pretty much gotten together every year since we graduated; whether it was at each other’s weddings or
at different places around the country such as Connecticut, Chicago, California, or Kentucky. Most recently, we celebrated our 50th birthdays in Grenada, the Caribbean!How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
We have a group chat that we use pretty much weekly—even if it's just to say hi, how are you doing? During COVID, we would FaceTime with the group every couple of weeks.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We text via group chat frequently. We get together every year right after Memorial Day:)
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Josie Gibson
Josie Gibson
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s. Provide class years:
Claire Hennessy '22
Grace Floerchinger '22
Maggie Sexton '22
Catherine Haas '22
Molly Soper '22
Megan Shanebrook '22How did your friend group form?
Megan Shanebrook got engaged recently and asked all of us to be bridesmaids at her wedding during our
reunion for the USC vs. ND football game. Her wedding will be held at Saint Mary’s in summer 2024!!How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
As a group, we have been there for each other through many challenging times. The deaths
of family members, starting/losing jobs, homesickness, etc. I feel so lucky to have such a supportive group of friends.How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We all live in different cities now. Since graduating, we’ve reunited for football games and visited each other in our new cities!
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Jean Powers
Jean Powers
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s. Provide class years:
All are class 1995
Jen Puplava
Erika Moen Januschka
Jean Powers
Elizabeth Kernan
Alexis Dunbar Beckwith
Seanne Patrick Buckwalter
Bryn Umhofer Schmitt
Meredith Dodge MelinderHow did your friend group form?
Several of us met in orientation and lived in Queen's Court. And over the next year or so, we pulled the rest into our group and stayed close throughout. Eating together in the cafe, going out on weekends, Notre Dame games, movie nights, group vacations—the friendship built up from there!
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together— either in person or from afar?
We’re all over the US, so it’s hard to get all of us together at every reunion—every other year or so. But this year, we all celebrated turning 50 in San Diego. Rented a house together—and even though we talk all the time, we talked for days.
Catching up with everyone—it’s a lot easier to have conversations in person. Also had a wonderful time touring the city and celebrating our milestone birthdays. So much laughter and joy; we are just an amazingly funny bunch when we get together.How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
We are prolific texters - over the years, we moved our conversations out of email and we now text each other pretty much daily. It’s amazing to me that we’ve been able to do that, honestly. I don’t think there is anything we haven’t seen and helped each other through - divorce, death, miscarriage, health challenges, raising children, aging parents. There’s always someone with good advice, or a contact when needed. We all have different ways we contribute, depending on the circumstance. Especially when times are rough - there’s always someone who has been through it, and can help pull the other one up. And they check in to make sure everything is well
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We probably get together either as a group or in smaller groups every year or
so. Calls, lots of texts. People have a good barometer when a text isn’t going to be sufficient, and then there’s a call!
We live all over the country, some are married, and some aren’t. Some have kids, others don’t. We all have different jobs. We don’t agree on politics across the board. We disagree on some very fundamental things. Sometimes people in our group drive me absolutely crazy ... but I think that’s what it’s like having sisters? I know I could call on anyone for advice or help and somehow, I’d get what I needed, and vice versa. I don’t know what I would do if I lost this connection—meeting them at Saint Mary’s helped to make me the person I am today, I’m continually thrilled that people this amazing are my friends! I’m very blessed. -
Laura Rodriguez
Laura Rodriguez
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s. Provide class years:
Laura Loh Howland
1997How did your friend group form?
Laura and I met at freshman orientation. We were the only two women asking our group leader all the questions, and we just bonded from there. We were inseparable. There were times we had different groups of friends, and Laura went through a really hard time sophomore year when she became really ill, but I was always with her and supporting her. And then there was a time, senior year, when I got involved in a group that just wasn’t for me, but I didn’t know it. But Laura did. She supported me the whole time, and even when I finally came to my senses, she was there for me. We were out together in our junior year at Corby’s, where she met her husband, who was doing an engineering internship in South Bend from Purdue.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
We were in each other's weddings as the MOH [maid/matron of honor] even though we lived in different states. I want to share with you the speech she gave at my wedding which really embodies our friendship and the characteristics of Saint Mary's. Here it is:
"It was a sweltering hot day in August 1993 when I, with a dozen other Saint Mary's girls, were stuffed into a century-old school's hot dorm room in South Bend, Indiana. It was freshman orientation week, and we were there to meet our fellow survival teammates in search of anyone we may have anything in common with and then there! There it was: Laura and Laura! What we didn't know then, but we do know now, is that we actually had much more in common than just our names. Through the next four years, we would share countless memories of crazy parties, wacky professors, endless study sessions, exams, first dates, dances, football games, and so much more. Yet today, there is one memory in particular [that stands out]. The year was 1995, and we and some 30 other Saint Mary's sophomores were loading onto a big, rented Greyhound bus en route to Wabash College, one of the last all-male colleges just south of Notre Dame. I recall this particular memory for the awkwardness of Saint Mary's women being herded onto a Greyhound bus and driving 3 hours to meet and party with some overly eager Wabash men! But what can we say? I guess we couldn't find what we were looking for across the street!! (I had to say that because neither of us married Notre Dame guys).-Just Kidding! I don't remember much about the trip home from Wabash College, but I do remember a conversation Lechman and I had on the way. Now the reason I remember it so well is because it was it was one of about six entries in my wannabe journal at Saint Mary's College, and here it is. I actually have it: 'Today, we all took the bus to Wabash for an invitation to come and party with the fraternity. On the ride down, Lechman and I had a conversation in which we decided what qualities our future husbands must have; Johnny, listen up!: Number 10: Must resemble dear old dad—not in looks of course, but in his ability to confidently hold the purse. When needed, he would not refuse to carry, hold, or strap to his body, our purse, beach bag, diaper bag, baby carrier or even the dreaded glitzy evening pocketbook. Number 9: Must contend with the reality that even though we may endlessly complain about our mothers, we also seek their undying approval and let them have each and every last word. Number 8: Must have younger brother's seal of approval. Number 7: Must have Lechman/Loh seal of approval. Number 6: Must laugh with us, not only at us. Number 5: Must be great father material Number 4: Must enthusiastically agree to send all female offspring to Saint Mary's College. Number 3: Must share our faith in God. Number 2: Must be our very best friend. Nubmer 1: Must share a mutual and everlasting love. Lechman has been looking long and hard for someone to fit this bill. But from what I've heard and what I see in her smile, you have passed with flying colors. And now the best days are now ahead of you. To Laura and Johnny! Cheers!"How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
We always kept in touch. Now we both have children. She has a boy and a girl, and I have a boy and two girls. Her daughter is in 10th grade, and her son is a freshman at Boston College. My son is a freshman in high school, my middle daughter is in 7th grade, and my youngest is in 5th grade.
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Kristin Sherman
Kristin Sherman
Kristin Sherman
Class of 2020
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s:
Megan Coeur '20
How did your friend group form?
I met Megan during orientation weekend when we both got caught in the rain leaving the dining hall. The rest is history! We lived together the following three years.
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
This winter, we made our biggest journey yet and spent a whole month exploring South America and Antarctica. Talk about #ringsdoingthings! We spent one magical night sitting outside amongst the glaciers of Antarctica, watching the sun set just to rise again 30 minutes later. There is no one I would rather share that experience with than my Saint Mary’s bestie.
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
The pandemic sent me back to New York and Megan back across the country to Alabama. We both finished our final semester of our SMC education from our parents’ homes and started new paths after graduation. We both moved to different cities and ended up 4 hours apart. We made the drive every opportunity we got and, as the pandemic started to slow, started traveling the world together. We have supported each other through countless unexpected twists and turns of post grad life and have given each other the power to make bold choices as we navigate our new lives.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
There is no question in my mind that Megan and I will be best friends attending our SMC reunion until the end. She is the first person I call for advice, the only person I would call to meet me in a new city on a week’s notice, and more of a soulmate than any romantic partner will ever be.
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The Augusta Five
The Augusta Five
Dr. E. Jane Luzar
Class of 1974
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s.
Nancy Christopher '74
Mary Toll '74
Anne Sullivan Kaminski '74
Katherine Jennings Kennedy '74
E. Jane Luzar '74Our Story:
The Augusta Five Friendships are formed and strengthened in many ways, sometimes under the stress of change and uncertainty. Some friendships fade over time, strong ones survive.
Over fifty years ago, the sophomore class of St. Mary’s College was facing the reality that the promised merger with Notre Dame was not going to happen. Student friendships formed during the first two years of college at St. Mary’s faced an unusual challenge. Many students chose to transfer to other universities and often lost touch with their friends from St. Mary’s. That’s the initial story of the Augusta Five, sophomores who took different paths in college and life.
We called ourselves the Augusta Five because to our knowledge, we were the only sophomores living in Augusta Hall in 1971-72. Augusta Hall was opened that year to accommodate the rise in freshman enrollment due to expectations of the merger. As the merger collapsed, the Augusta Five planned their futures, mostly away from St. Mary’s. Mary Toll transferred to Notre Dame, Anne Sullivan Kaminiski transferred to Boston College, Kathryn Jennings Kennedy transferred to Drake University, E. Jane Luzar transferred to the University of Oregon, and Nancy Christopher stayed at St.Mary’s but left for a junior year abroad in Ireland.
Even knowing that we were separating after that year, we had formed a strong bond of friendship. A lifetime later, thanks to the perseverance of Mary Toll, we were reunited. First by email, then by a number of Zoom meetings. We are all impressed with the personal and professional accomplishments of the Augusta Five. But I think we are the most surprised at the richness and strength of the friendships we had formed over 50 years ago at St Mary’s. This past February 2024, we reunited in person in Florida at Jane's house.
Our friendships formed at St. Mary’s College have lasted a lifetime. The Augusta Five is alive and well.
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Mary Beth Anderson Fisher
Mary Beth Anderson Fisher
Mary Beth Anderson Fisher
Class of 1991
Names of the women who belong to your family of friends at Saint Mary’s.
1991 Rome Program— ragazze!
How did your friend group form?
My friend group formed during my sophomore year abroad. We were Americans living in Rome and lodging at the Hotel Tiziano!).
What is a particularly joyful moment your friends have celebrated together—either in person or from afar?
All roads lead to Rome! Any SMC student who studied in Rome shares an eternal love of all things Italian! Our Roman Catholic faith, art history, archeology, architecture, opera, Italian language, food, wine, gelato, and cappuccinos!
How has this group sustained each other during a challenging time?
My friend Mary Beth Anderson Fisher, who attended the Rome program, moved to Southern Westchester, and met one of her neighbors. She found out that she had met her neighbor’s sister—Monica D’Andrea ‘89—in Rome all those years ago. So, Mary Beth got together with Monica. They attended Sunday Mass and grabbed a cappuccino to pick up right where they left off in the eternal city.
Last June, Monica’s father passed away. Monica, her sister Marcella, and her father had been preparing to attend a pilgrimage where one can go see the seven churches in Rome. After his death, Monica and Marcella decided to still make what they called the “Trek of the Soul” in their dad’s honor, and invited Mary Beth to join them. They visited what Monica’s father and New York Yankee superfan called “Home Plate”: the iconic Saint Peter’s.
How do you maintain this vital connection to one another?
My friend group has decided to keep this a tradition and make the pilgrimage as often as possible. In fact, Monica’s dad went solo when he was 86! If anyone has an interest in all things Rome and this Trek of the Soul opportunity, please reach out to Mary Beth Fisher at mbfisher09@gmail.com.