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Alumnae Spotlights
2022-2023 ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHTS
LISA BROWNEBANIC ‘86
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RETIRED U.S. ARMY VETERAN AND FACULTY MEMBER
Florida Atlantic University
Lisa Browne-Banic ‘86 graduated from Flintridge Sacred
Heart. It took just one year of living on campus in the residence hall for Lisa to feel part of the Flintridge Sacred Heart community and embrace all that the school provides. Lisa learned to be confdent, thanks to the experiences, teachers, Sisters, and classmates that surrounded her. Browne-Banic and a fellow Tolog started the frst ever Cross-Country team at Flintridge Sacred Heart, which was coached by her AP Math teacher. Since then the team has grown from two players to more than twenty.
After graduating from Flintridge Sacred Heart, Browne-Banic went on to Gonzaga University where she earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Relations and Broadcast Journalism while also participating in Reserve Ofcers’ Training Corps (ROTC). After graduating, she had a job in marketing and communications while a reserve for the Army. After 9/11, she went into active duty in South Korea, Washington and at the United States Southern Command Headquarters in South Florida. After putting in 20 years of service she retired from the Army. In 2019, she pursued a master’s degree in education at Florida Atlantic University (FAU). She is now pursuing her PhD and is teaching public affairs at FAU.
Browne-Banic, who describes her career path as “fulflling,” thanks Flintridge Sacred Heart for providing the education and support so she could develop the confdence needed to experiment with different life paths that may have intimidated her otherwise. She is grateful to the Sisters, her teachers, and her lifelong friendships for getting her through even the toughest of times. According to Lisa, her greatest accomplishment was having her daughter. When she looks at her daughter now, she sees a young girl who has the courage to do whatever she sets her mind to. “I know in my heart she learned that from me, and I learned that from Flintridge Sacred Heart,” said Brown-Banic. our service men and wom-
en for your time, dedication and service to our country.
ALESANDRA “ALI” LOZANO ‘08, MSW
VOTING RIGHTS OUTREACH COORDINATOR
Texas Civil Rights Project
Alesandra “Ali” Lozano ‘08, an author and speaker on the voting rights circuit in Texas, originally wanted to pursue a career in international affairs with an emphasis on Latin
America. It wasn’t until her time at George Washington University, where she joined an LGBTQ non-violent civil disobedience group, that the entire trajectory of her career began to shift as she discovered a passion for local politics.
While a community organizer in DC, she snagged a political fellowship at the Women’s Campaign Fund, now called She Should Run, a women-led political organization conducting electoral campaign work. Responsible for recruiting candidates to run, Lozano was passionate about her work on the campaigns. In 2013, Lozano moved to Texas, continuing her work at the same organization remotely. She started to take interest in the electoral landscape in Texas, and realized she wanted to get more involved in the voting rights space. She landed a job in the outreach department at the Texas Freedom Network, which specializes in mobilizing college students to become civically engaged and registered to vote. Through her work, she saw how college students, Black, Latinx and other Texans of color face restrictions in exercising their right to vote without intimidation. “Working on voting rights felt like the space where I could have the biggest impact on the things I want to see changed in this country,” said Lozano.
Now, Lozano advocates for the disenfranchised in her community and by extension for all of us. Her commitment to social justice is inspiring to all of us. She will surely be a national leader in the near term.
BRITTANY MARIE SALAS ‘09
CREATOR OF SĀDU
Climate Crisis App
Brittany Salas graduated from Flintridge Sacred Heart in 2009.
After leaving the Hill she wanted to pursue a career in international relations and economic development so she made the choice to go to Fordham University where she was a double major in International Political Economy and Philosophy. While at Fordham she participated and led three international volunteering projects to Ecuador and South Africa respectively. She also continued her career as a D1 springboard diver, making it to Atlantic 10 fnals for three consecutive years.
After college Salas spent a year working in New York City as an economic development policy advocate. As a policy advocate she helped allocate a million dollars in city funding for worker cooperative training programs, which helped small businesses transition into an employee owned and operated governance structure. Then she went to NYU for a Master in Global Affairs with a focus on Energy and Environmental Policy.
While in Berlin Salas started a climate tech innovation platform to develop innovation strategies for energy utilities and scout for investment opportunities on behalf of venture capital funds. Ultimately this journey gave her insight into why climate change was happening and how difcult it was to create an adequate response to the crisis. She decided to use this information to start a company of her own and tackle the problem head on. Salas shared that what she has accomplished thus far was infuenced by her time at Flintridge Sacred Heart and the focus on holistic development, including community, sports and academics. Learning how to set a schedule, prioritize and stay dedicated throughout those four years, while also embracing the experience as a teenager in an all-girls school, created a set of everlasting positive habits that pervade her work today.
Currently Salas is the co-founder and CEO of Sādu, an app that rewards healthy lifestyles with trees planted in global reforestation projects. The app leverages smartwatches to connect a sense of personal well-being to the environment, allocating fnancial contributions to sustainability projects for every calorie burned and giving everyone the opportunity to invest in nature-based solutions to climate change.
When asked what she loves most about the school, Salas shared, “My family sacrifced a lot in order for me to go to Flintridge Sacred Heart and I want them to know that it was absolutely worth it. The standard to which we hold ourselves, as a community of graduates, is unparalleled and gives us the ability to accomplish amazing things! I am super grateful for the foundation Flintridge Sacred Heart created for me.”
DIANA LOEHR STONE ‘60
RETIRED MANAGER
Moonfarmer.com
Diana Loehr Stone ‘60 is a retired
Operations Manager at Moonfarmer.com. Throughout her career, she was a television and commercial flm producer, primarily working on public affairs and documentary programming. She attended her 60th class reunion virtually in November 2020 when the traditional spring event got postponed due to COVID-19.
With applications now open for the 2022-23 school year, Stone shares some of her most memorable experiences, favorite spot on campus, and advice for those applying. When she was a student, attendance at morning Mass before school was an option; now, students attend special Masses about once a month on Holy Days. To this day, it feels natural for Stone to meditate, study beloved spiritual teachings and pray in the early mornings because of this experience attending Mass on the Hill. Her favorite spot on campus was study hall, which many may remember as enrichment, a time where students can meet with teachers or get a head start on homework or projects.
Stone also lived on the Hill and built impactful relationships and bonds with her fellow students in the residence hall. She feels joy and peaceful energy every time she is on the Hill. For those looking to apply to Flintridge Sacred Heart, Stone shares the following advice: “Follow your heart’s desire; if you feel a calling, a tug toward Flintridge Sacred Heart— do everything in your power to make it happen!”
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