The journey of a Valkyrie
Sophia Auzenne
Anticipation, excitement and trepidation fill the air as a young girl embarks upon her high school journey. Stepping into Sacred Heart Academy for the first time, every cell in her body is vibrating, “Who will I meet? Will I fit in? Will classes be hard?”
Soon, she is introduced to the meaning of becoming a Valkyrie — a strong woman of great faith. Though the title seems unfamiliar, it is one she will embody with pride.
During her freshman year, as she walks through the unfamiliar hallways and sees new faces, the once confident middle-schooler feels unsure. Fortunately, it does not take long for her to feel the warmth of the embrace from the Sacred Heart community.
She is immersed in a community built upon the core values of community, reverence, service and leadership. Through events like “Frosh Blast” or maybe even a sports tryout, she soon realizes that she is not alone; she is surrounded by newfound sisters, equally nervous and excited.
The laughter at pep rallies, the shared stress over exams and the thrill of running through the halls before a state game while chanting school cheers creates an unbreakable bond. She no longer feels like an outsider; instead, she begins to see this place as her forever home.
As she journeys into her sophomore year, she begins to internalize the value of reverence, which guides her to live with integrity and respect for others. Retreats become a chance to disconnect from the world and reconnect with herself, her peers and her faith. Through these moments of contemplation and prayer, she learns the importance of empathy, realizing that reverence extends beyond faith to living with integrity and treating others with kindness.
By junior year, she begins to see the world with a focus on service and compassion for others. Through her experiences, she learns what it means to be a servant leader, recognizing the importance of connecting with the world around her while deepening her faith.
Service projects introduce her to individuals facing struggles she once overlooked, helping her discover her passions. She realizes that service is not measured by grand gestures, but rather by small acts of kindness. Service becomes the lens through which she views her role in the world, shaping her into a compassionate leader.
Finally, as a senior, she embraces her transformation and embodies the value of leadership. No longer the timid girl who once wandered unfamiliar hallways, she now walks confidently with a smile on her face.
She mentors younger students, guiding them with the same compassion and wisdom once offered to her. She leads by example, whether on the field, in the classroom, or during service initiatives, demonstrating that leadership is rooted in a desire to uplift others.
As she steps into her future, she, a Valkyrie, is metaphorically clothed in the armor of a timeless community, revering God, serving her fellows and leadership principles, ready to take on the world. Her growth is evident in her accomplishments and her character. Being recognized as a Valkyrie is a blessing.
With enduring gratitude for the friendships formed, the lessons learned and the countless memories made, she dons her white gown and blue graduation sash, taking her final, confident steps through the halls of Sacred Heart Academy, ready to leave her mark on the world.
She is fortified by the values instilled during her four years: community, reverence, service and leadership. These values will continue to guide her, shaping her into the leader she is destined to become and ensuring she leaves a lasting impact wherever she goes.
She walks with reverence from SHA
Allison Conliffe
As a Sacred Heart Academy graduate walks across the stage to receive her diploma, everyone who knows of the legacy of Ursuline education knows that she walks with much more than her white gown, white cap and twelve roses.
She walks with reverence: for herself, her peers, her faith and for God’s creation. Through theological discussion, years of leading retreats and hundreds of hours spent serving the underprivileged in her community, she has cultivated a Catholic spirit that recognizes the dignity of all. She is ready to venture into her collegiate and vocational years as a daughter of God who understands who she is and how she is called to treat others.
She walks with humility. She knows that her knowledge is considerable, yet that there is always more to learn. Her International Baccalaureate curriculum has not only taught her self-discipline and the value of hard work, but also how to be a responsible and open-minded global citizen.
She is confident in what she knows, and also confident that her knowledge will be challenged and expanded in the years to come.
She walks with abundant joy and radiant faith — meaningful assets cultivated through worthwhile challenges. The Immaculate Heart Chapel has seen her through the academic, athletic, artistic and personal obstacles she has met in the past four years. The pews know her well, and so does her Savior. She holds tightly in her heart the sisters in Christ who have prayed with her every Wednesday and Friday in the Chapel, an undeniable bond.
She walks with confidence, knowing she is prepared to be a leader in and out of the classroom.
She understands the value of servant leadership, and how to lead in such a way that her values are reflected and her morals remain at her core.
With experience in the medical field as a Frazier Fellow of the Jean Frazier Leadership Institute, she knows she is ready to lead on a larger scale than scholastic group projects. She knows she is ready to lead with heart in the field God is calling her to, making real impact and changing the world.
Her eyes scan over the crowd – over the teachers, coaches, friends, and family there to support her. These are the very people who made being a Valkyrie mean being a part of an irrefutable and irreplaceable family. She walks with them, too.
Most importantly, she walks with the strength of Saint Angela, the courage of St. Ursula and the light of Christ.
As she is handed her diploma, she sees that Sacred Heart Academy has transformed her into a strong woman of great faith, wisdom and grace. It has transformed her into a young woman she is proud to be.
No matter where she walks in life from this point forward, be it in the light or shadow, she walks with the support of her Valkyrie family.
For she may be walking forward, but the legacy of Ursuline Education is never behind her. It is in each day, in each step, in each decision and in each breath. It is the continual striving for knowledge, service to others and a relationship with Jesus Christ. Soli Deo Gloria!
Sacred Heart was life-changing
Ava Pahl
Four years at Sacred Heart Academy is a journey — a life-changing journey to embodying the core values of community, reverence, service and leadership. It is a monumental journey toward self-discovery.
Walking through the double doors on the first day of freshman year, a previous eighth-grader arrives at the moment she has waited for her whole life: becoming a Valkyrie. Greeted by all the smiling faces and limitless opportunities ahead of her, the new freshman begins her journey towards learning the first core value: community.
By trying out for sports teams, joining clubs and making new friends in her classes, she forms her own community. However, throughout the next nine months, she quickly learns what it means to be a part of something larger than herself. She understands how she adds to that solidarity and begins to realize the Sacred Heart community, one that is uplifting and accepting, is invaluable.
After gliding through freshman year, she is now a sophomore and begins to develop reverence in a way she never thought existed. She not only deepens her reverence for her faith or her reverence for others, but she also learns how to have reverence for herself. She understands that even though she may not be “perfect,” she is complete in every way possible. In a world where people are constantly tearing each other down, she realizes the irreplaceable value of loving herself.
Throughout junior year many personal milestones are reached. From driving alone, to taking harder courses and mastering the ACT, junior year should be a fairly selfish one. However, not at Sacred Heart, because the core focus of junior year is service.
A junior learns that while serving at the soup kitchen is a great way to give back, service does not always require a hands-on approach. She learns that an act of service can be as small as opening the door for someone or checking up on a friend. She realizes service is a mindset and that to a Valkyrie, service is intrinsic. Soon, she too starts to serve with a passion and a kindness that will persist throughout the rest of her life.
When she reaches senior year, she begins to understand how quickly time passes. Three years felt like three weeks, and now she is making substantial decisions about her future. But she is not alone; she has her Sacred Heart community supporting her, the reverence she has for herself guiding her and her servant mindset to accompany her.
Additionally, throughout senior year, she learns to embody the final core value: leadership. Whether through senior retreat, serving as the president of a club or simply setting a good example for younger classmates, she slowly becomes a leader. She learns how to advocate for herself and others and also how to confidently create her own future.
Walking across the stage at graduation, she realizes how she has become the person she was always meant to be and the transformative impact Sacred Heart Academy had on her life. It was the home outside of her family she always needed — a place where she is constantly loved, where she is more than enough, where she is a resilient and strong leader and where she is told she will change the world around her. It is a place that fosters personal growth while pushing academic achievement and simultaneously expanding faith and a community that sees her as a person, not just a number, and believes she can achieve anything, if only she dares to try.
