Liz Keenan ‘83, Lisa Pettitt ’89, Monica Medina McCurdy ’92, Maggie Weber Utsch ’00 and Michelle Eberhard ’10 first got to know one another during the COVID-19 pandemic and have remained connected
It started out as an online book club sponsored by CSB and part of the transformational inclusion work funded by the Mellon Grant during President Mary Hinton’s tenure at the school.
A way for College of Saint Benedict alums to gather, read and reflect in the turbulent summer of 2020 with society still largely locked down because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and with outrage pouring into the streets following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.
A death that came after Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin – who was convicted of murder and manslaughter for his role in the incident – pressed his knee on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes.
That was how Liz Keenan ‘83, Lisa Pettitt ’89, Monica Medina McCurdy ’92, Maggie Weber Utsch ’00 and Michelle Eberhard ’10 first got to know one another.
“There was so much going on during that summer after George Floyd’s murder, and at the time there weren’t many opportunities to have conversations like this because a lot of places were still locked down,” recalled Pettitt, who works with youth organizations and also does retreat planning at Compassionate Dharma Cloud Monastery in Colorado.
“This really became a great place to work through who we were and what was happening at this moment in history.”
Indeed, while the group first formed as part of a call CSB put out to alumnae in 2020 to form contemplative action groups, its five members have remained active ever since.
During that time, it evolved into a professional and social support resource.
“All of us work in roles where we have leadership responsibility,” said McCurdy, a physician assistant and an assistant professor at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. “We’re in positions where we can be called upon to navigate difficult situations. I really like having this sounding board. Everyone is an amazing listener and asks great questions. I think that really helps us think about things a little differently.”
And, despite graduating in different eras, the five have formed close friendships with one another.
“Our conversations often seep into personal stuff as well,” said Utsch, the director of annual giving at CSB. “Dealing with aging parents, things like that.
“The word sisterhood captures a lot, but what we have built feels even deeper. We come from different class years and we’re in different professions, and may not have met otherwise. But the bond we share here is something truly special and life-changing.”
Eberhard, the director of refugee services at the International Institute of Minnesota in St. Paul, echoed that sentiment.
“For the first 10 years after I graduated, I didn’t feel a reason to connect back to Saint Ben’s,” she said. “But because of this group, and the values that we share, I’ve been able to reconnect. It’s made me want to explore more.”
Keenan, a professor of social work at Southern Connecticut State University, said she frequently brings strategies and practices from the group into her work and everyday life.
“We share different spiritual practices, or other things that work for us at different times,” she said. “It’s helpful to be able to generate possibilities and learn from one another.”
Despite the bond the five now share, they’d never gathered in person until this August when they all were able to connect on campus at CSB.
“It’s been really fun,” McCurdy said during that visit – her first time back on campus since she graduated in 1992. “Some of us have gotten together in smaller groups. But this is the first time all five of us have been together in person.
“It’s nice to be able to do this after everything we’ve shared with one another.”