St. John's Prep Alumna's

Life of Service

Isela Chavarria has been around the world but she returned to her roots and her alma mater, St. John’s Prep, Astoria, on March 8 to speak to students in social studies classes about her work as a Community Service Officer for the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in South Sudan.

Isela, who graduated from St. John’s Prep in 1990, holds a B.A. in government and politics from St. John’s University, and an M.A. in health advocacy from Sarah Lawrence College.

South Sudan: Isela Chavarria, St. John’s Prep alumna, connects with Masai tribesmen, above, and embraces two young

refugees, at right.

Chavarria is one of approximately 100 UNHCR staff members working in the Sudan. She realized her passion for working on behalf of refugees when, while stationed in Hungary as a Peace Corps volunteer from 1995 through 1997, she volunteered at refugee camps set up in Hungary for Bosnians forced out of their homeland. When her Peace Corps assignment ended, she joined the UNHCR as a field officer in Bosnia, responsible for re-integrating returning citizens into society. She returned to the U.S. to attend graduate school at Sarah Lawrence and then joined the March of Dimes Headquarters in Westchester as a Bilingual Health Information Specialist. In June 2006, she rejoined the UNHCR and assumed her current position.

As a Community Service Officer, Chavarria’s primary responsibility is to ensure that returning refugees are able to return to their communities with safety and dignity. Thousands of refugees fled Sudan during two decades of civil war that uprooted some 4.5 million people overall. UNHCR plans this year to help some 30,400 Sudanese to return from Ethiopia. More than 6,500 have already returned home from Ethiopia with UNHCR assistance since the voluntary repatriation program was launched in early 2006. Thousands more have returned using their own means. For more information about the UNHCR, go to www.unhcr.org.

Parade Rounds for Molloy's

Pipes and Drums

The Pipes and Drums Band at Archbishop Molloy H.S., Briarwood, had a busy March performing at various St. Patrick’s Day parades. Established in 1995, Molloy’s Pipes and Drums Band was the first high school pipe band on the east coast.

Band members are pictured with Instructor Ed Cameron and Moderator Brother Pat Hogan, alumnae spiritual director, after a Garden City parade earlier this month.

Youth Views

March is National Women’s History Month. Name one woman whom you consider to be among the most prominent female figures in history

and explain why.

Deanna Aquino St. Edmund Prep Sophomore I consider Mother Teresa of Calcutta a prominent female figure. She wasn’t a rich woman. She used her love to heal.	Michele Murray St. Edmund Prep Senior Sandra Day O’Connor. She was the first female justice who served on the Supreme Court. I feel she has put women on the map in government.

Alyssa Goldbach Archbishop Molloy H.S. Senior Susan B. Anthony. As a pioneer in women’s rights, she fought for equality among the sexes. Anthony was courageous enough to stand out of the crowd and start The Revolution.	Ashley Scurto St. Edmund Prep Senior Eleanor Roosevelt. She was strong in every way. She was there for her husband when he needed her the most and she was always by his side.

Kathryn Ornellas Archbishop Molloy H.S. Junior Hillary Clinton. Not only is she a good wife and mother but she was the first lady to the president, is now senator of New York, and is currently in the running for president of the United States.	Daniel White St. Edmund Prep Junior The woman I am picking is not a famous figure in history. She is my mother, and she has loved and supported me in everything I do. She is, by far, one of the greatest figures in the history of my life.

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