One of the first things that this project changed my view on was the impressiveness of Saint Mary's as an all-women's institution. From conducting the research for the project, specifically the research done for the marketing book, it was clear that women’s colleges almost went extinct. So the fact that Saint Mary's has survived as an institution, especially through the period of the proposed merger with the University of Notre Dame, is certainly something to be commemorated.

The more research I conducted for this project, the more I started to recognize Saint Mary’s as a humble servant. Since the Sisters of the Holy Cross first came over to help the brothers of Notre Dame with their laundry, I feel the women of Saint Mary's have been quietly working in the background to help the needs of both the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College itself. Although for many years the women of Saint Mary's have been acting as quiet background players and have been seemingly happy to do so, I am happy that we are raising a voice with this project and hopefully giving a clearer and fuller picture of the truth of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's. It felt good being able to recount the story of our institution's founding, and, although there is something admirable about the way that Saint Mary's has taken care of Notre Dame whenever they have been in need and have continued to do so despite the lack of recognition they receive, I personally think it is okay to detail the truth of the past.

Although our project might change certain people’s opinions of the relationship between the University of Notre Dame and Saint Mary's College, I feel it is important to recount the history that we have discovered throughout this class; one, because people have the right to know and two, because we, as a class have an obligation to spread the truth that we encounter in the making of this website. I want to be proud and be able to feel good about the legacy we have left, even after we graduate. I noticed this desire to pass on something good and true increased throughout my time in this class due to the course's the emphasis on memory. A leading focus of this class/project was the importance of memory and how memory can be altered and passed on. These conversations instilled in me a sort of responsibility to the past Saint Mary's students whose lives we were looking at through archival materials. I became responsible for making sure their memory did not die with our class, but instead that their voices were remembered, passed on, and above all, accessible. 

Studying the  history of Saint Mary's College allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the legacy each graduating class fulfills simply by being a Saint Mary's student and graduate. By examining the artifacts, we were able to see similarities in our interests with those of the Saint Mary's students from one hundred years ago. These similarities caused me to feel a greater sense of identity in my school. The sense of identity that I now feel towards this institution will help me to make decisions for the good of the school, and this new found identity is only more incentive to advocate for a true telling of the story of Saint Mary's and the Sisters of the Holy Cross. Also, studying Saint Mary's history has, in one sense, made me aware of how far along technology and education has come, and for this I am endlessly grateful. But, I was also able to notice how things have not changed and how intellectual our Saint Mary's ancestors were. I think it is a common belief (and one that I previously shared) that, because women used to be portrayed in a different light by society, their lives were much simpler than are the lives of women today. But in Chimes, we see how they were dealing with heavy things even back then, such as the conversation about abortion. I think remembering this has widened my gaze and allowed me to empathize more. By learning about those who paved the way for us today at Saint Mary’s, I have gained a deeper understanding of the past, present, and my hopes for the future. 

Bridget Justen
Undeclared