Our Girls. Each year at Blazer Dash we hear this phrase over and over again.
Our girls are the ones running the race. Prospective students, current students, alums, moms and grand moms flood the hills of Hampton Lane to run the community and back up the hill to campus.
Our girls are those that we remember while running this special race. Each of our girls run for someone different and this race has more meaning than just a run in the community.
Our girls are those that roam the halls of Hampton Lane on scholarship. Many of the scholarships that these girls receive benefit from the Blazer Dash. We reached out to the recipients of the Alumnae Scholarship this year to get their perspective on what it means to be one of our girls, their favorite part of wearing the blue dress, and more. Our three recipients of the Alumnae Scholarship for the 2017-2018 school year share their thoughts below.
“Being the recipient of the Alumnae Scholarship means being able to honor my mom’s legacy as a Class of ’84 Alum, while forging my own path during my time at NDP and into the rest of my life. As a young girl, I remember attending mini-meet each year with my mom. After witnessing the bond between her and her NDP sisters, I could not imagine attending a school without blue dresses, saddle shoes, and countless traditions. It was with great pride that I walked through the Gateway in 2011, a timid, but excited sixth grader. When I learned that I was the recipient of the Alumnae Scholarship, I knew that the honor came along with a great legacy and responsibility, so I promised to make the most of my four years in the Upper Level. Having completed my first week as a senior, I have had the opportunity to look back upon my time at NDP. The teachers, faculty, and my friends have helped me to find my passion for service. Over the past four years, I have had the opportunity to volunteer with Camp Umoja, Rafiki, and start my own non-profit. The NDP community has provided me with the tools to, not only find my passions, but to use them to better the world around me. The Blazer Dash is important because it provides scholarships to young girls, so that they can “become women who transform the world”. ”
Gabby Kastrunes Class of 2018
“I am so honored and humbled to be a recipient of the Alumnae Scholarship. I am proud to represent all those who have left NDP and are now using the values and traditions they learned at NDP to change the world. Also, I am excited to continue the legacy of my mom, aunt, and cousin. Each of them is a great role model for me and has been supporting me through my journey thus far at NDP. My experience at NDP has been wonderful so far. I am involved in athletics, playing a sport each season, have joined clubs and have been touched by participating in service learning as well as the Sisters Academy Athletic Camp. I have enjoyed many of the NDP traditions, but I am excited for many of the traditions still to come such as Ring Day and Junior Retreat!”
Addie Fischer, Class of 2019
“As a legacy girl, I have a lot to live up to. I take after my mom in many aspects, from art, to sense of humor, to even our looks. Sometimes, I find it difficult to break out of this box that has been built around me. However, NDP has given me the opportunity to become my own person. I can make my own legacy here at school. The Alumnae Scholarship was actually the deciding point in my future as a Notre Dame Prep student. When I received the call that I received the award, I knew that God had a plan for me at this school. I have made countless friends throughout the Upper Level that would not have been possible without this scholarship. I have been able to create a name for myself and not just live in my mother’s shadow. I was a member of the National Art Honor Society last year, a dream come true. This was something that set me apart from my mother. Every day I strive to be the best student, friend, sister, and daughter that I can be. I am eternally grateful that I was the recipient of the Alumnae Scholarship and now I am closer to becoming everything I have ever wanted to be.”
Isabella Silvis, Class of 2020
The Blazer Dash is less than two weeks away on September 24th. Register online to run in this 5K to benefit our girls currently attending NDP and those that we remember.
Extend your visit on campus and stay for the day. Blazer Day will include mass, food trucks, a chili and cupcake cook-off, and the Raven’s game on a big screen.
