Agency, Voice, and the Evolution (AVE) of Women at Saint Mary’s, 1920-2023: Spring 2023

Imagining the Future, Leber

While exploring old editions of Chimes literary magazine in the Saint Mary’s College archives, I came across an article written by Josephine Ryan, who graduated from Saint Mary’s College in 1921. It provides a prediction for the future, an idealization of what she thought the world would look like by the year 2019 (read it here). It is fascinating to think that a student from one hundred years ago tried to imagine what the world would be like today, especially when we are living in the very era which she could only imagine. As a tribute to Josephine Ryan, I have come up with a dream of what I hope Saint Mary’s College will look like one hundred years from today.

Saint Mary’s College is one of the few Catholic women’s colleges left in the country because most Catholic women’s colleges are either shutting down or becoming co-ed. I hope that in 100 years from now, Saint Mary’s College will continue to be devoted to lifting up women and providing them with a well-rounded education. Most of the value of this school comes not just from the classes, but also from the opportunity for women to find their voices and use them. This is what makes our school stand out from the others. With that in mind, I hope that Saint Mary’s College will repeatedly prove the value of women’s colleges. 

As the world population increases, so too will the number of students attending Saint Mary’s College. Campus will expand, with new buildings being erected in the area now occupied by soccer and softball fields. These new buildings will be a dramatic upgrade to the charming, but very-much-loved dorms currently on campus. Saint Mary’s College will also improve all of its academic programs. There will be more undergraduate majors and minors, and there will also be an improving number of graduate programs. Everything from the humanities to science and to the arts will be expanded. 

Most importantly, when I imagine the ideal Saint Mary’s of the future, I picture openness. An openness to new ideas, to diverse ways of living. I picture a Saint Mary’s College where all students, professors, and staff feel welcomed and are able to thrive in a supportive community. I hope that Saint Mary’s College will make it a priority to be bold enough to radically love everyone, which everyone is called upon to do. I also pray that Saint Mary’s College will be a place where all ideas are not only invited, but also respectfully challenged. When we do all of these things, then we become more empathetic and wiser students and citizens of the global community.

In 100 years from now, I know that Saint Mary’s College will be a different place. Thinking about the future can be frightening because it is hard to imagine change. But rather than being worried, we should be filled with hope because our actions today shape the future. By prioritizing women’s empowerment, intellectual challenge, and the acceptance of others, Saint Mary’s can become the model for a purposeful and well-rounded education.

Grace Leber
Class of 2025 English, Humanistic Studies, Philosophy

This page has paths: