URSULINE ACADEMY OF DALLAS
April 27, 2024
Alumnae Awards Luncheon and Celebration
Alumnae Awards Luncheon and Celebration
WELCOME
Linda Thomas White ’81, Jean Thomas Buys ’82, Carolyn Thomas Murray ‘87
Alumnae Day Chairs
Gretchen Z. Kane President REMARKS
INVOCATION
Sr. Mary Troy '51, O.S.U.
LUNCH
ALUMNAE AWARDS PRESENTATION
Chithra Arumugham Volluz ‘91
Alumnae Board President
CLOSING
Dr. Andrea Shurley Principal
Menu
ENTREE
Chopped Spring Salad
with Mixed Field Greens, Asiago Crumbles, Candied
Pecans, Dried Cherries, Blueberries & Apples
Topped with Julienned Lemon Herb Grilled Chicken
served with Balsamic Vinaigrette
Veggie Petit Farfalle Pasta Salad
Seasonal Fresh Fruit & Berries
DESSERT
Lemon Cake
with Fresh Mint & Berries
Texas Chocolate Sheet Cake
with Spiced Nuts
Tea, Water, Champagne Toast
About The Awards
The Sister Marie Staats Award
The Sister Marie Staats Award honors a member of the Ursuline family, male or female, who has shown an outstanding commitment and tireless service to Ursuline Academy or its Alumnae Association. Such individual’s service and commitment should have deeply and positively affected the Ursuline Community.
The Young Alumna Award
The Young Alumna Award honors an alumna who graduated in the last fifteen years who, through her service, leadership, and achievements has made outstanding commitments within her community and profession.
The Serviam Alumna Award
The Serviam Alumna Award honors an alumna who embodies the Serviam volunteer Spirit of Ursuline Academy. Through her spirit, service, and quality of life, she exemplifies the Christian ideals of her Ursuline education.
The Distinguished Alumna Award
The Distinguished Alumna Award honors an alumna who, through her service, leadership, and achievements has distinguished herself to Ursuline, their community or their profession. The alumna should be a recognized leader within her chosen field and should reflect the Christian ideals, standards and objectives of Ursuline Academy.
Sr. Marie Staats Award
2024 Sr. Marie Staats Awardee
Sister Lois Castillon, O.S.U.
Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Sister Lois Castillon, O.S.U. is one of five children. Her parents, Florence and Alan Castillon raised their family on faith-based principles and passed their lively Catholic heritage on to their children. Sr. Lois graduated from Ursuline Academy in St. Louis where she was active in sports, especially volleyball and basketball. She participated in the school drama and debate clubs, the Sodality club, and was voted President of her freshman class.
In 1960, Sr. Lois entered the Ursulines of the Roman Union and made her First Profession of Vows in 1963. She has her B.A. from the College of New Rochelle in New York, M.A. from the University of Iowa, and holds a Doctorate in Catholic Educational Leadership from the University of San Francisco.
Beginning in 1966, Sr. Lois served as teacher, principal, and president at Ursuline schools across Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana, and Texas. She’s also held many additional positions including Prioress for the Ursuline Sisters in St. Louis and Dallas for two decades and leadership roles for the Ursuline Sisters of the Central and Western Provinces (USA) and of Ursuline international commissions. From 1996-2010, Sr. Lois was Director of Ursuline Educational Services for domestic Ursuline schools, where she made presentations to global Ursuline schools about St. Angela and Ursuline education.
Ursuline Dallas welcomed Sr. Lois in 2010 as acting Principal for six months before becoming the Director of Mission & Heritage. Now in her 12th year in Dallas, Sr. Lois loves her ministry more than ever. Her days are filled with coordinating mission-focused events for students: Freshman Convocation, Sophomore Serviam, Junior Ring, and Senior Baccalaureate Mass. She also helps faculty and boards be nurtured in St. Angela’s legacy and writings through Angela Retreats and Angela Merici Advisories.
Young Alumna
2024 Young Alumna
As a member of the Class of 2011 and Ursuline’s mascot, Honey Buns, Megan took part in several opportunities that aided her in discovering her true passion for engineering and healthcare. Megan’s Senior Service was at Parkland Hospital’s Oncology and OB Complications clinics. This, coupled with her time in Ursuline’s Pink Ladies Club, spurred her interest in women's health and cancer. Additionally, Megan was the first Ursuline student to serve as an athletic trainer for Jesuit, making her the first female to letter at Jesuit athletics, furthering her interest in the medical field. She took part in Ursuline's first engineering-related elective as well as Ursuline's first AP Physics C course, confirming her interest in engineering and preparing her well for college.
Following graduation, Megan received her Bachelor of Engineering from Vanderbilt University and her M.S. and Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University where she was a NIH National Institute of Biomedical
Dr. Megan Madonna ’11
Imaging and Bioengineering T32 and National Cancer Institute F31 Fellow. She is a member of BMES and was awarded the BMES Burroughs Wellcome Fund Young Investor Award.
Today, Megan is an Assistant Research Professor in Biomedical Engineering and the Assistant Director of Education for the Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies at Duke University. Her research focuses on the development of optical imaging technologies to improve disease outcomes with specific emphasis on the tumor microenvironment and cancer metabolism. Megan serves as a primary research mentor for the graduate and undergraduate students of the Center for Global Women’s Health Technologies in the areas of breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment through imaging and technology development. Megan aims to cultivate perseverance and self-efficacy in her mentees so that they will become independent problem-solvers and thoughtful researchers.
Additionally, Megan's research is dedicated to creating educational experiences that empower and retain K-12 and undergraduate students in STEM, particularly those who are underrepresented and gender minorities. This focus is not limited to engineering as a field but also extends toward developing a community-focused approach to problem-solving in the world around them. Towards this goal, Megan serves as the Director of Duke Ignite, a K-12 engineering, human-centered design education program. Ignite works to scale community-centered engineering pedagogy to local and global middle and high school students. In addition, she leads the (In)Visible Organ initiative that empowers creative thinkers to use art and storytelling to decrease stigma surrounding sexual and reproductive health and increase science and health literacy. She has mentored over 120 middle school students, 45 high school students, 75 undergraduate students, and 9 graduate students.
Serviam Alumna
2024 Serviam Alumna
Elizabeth Ryan Galvin ’75
Born in 1957, Libby is the youngest of eight children of Patsy Richardson, Class of ’35, and John Ryan. Growing up across the street from Holy Trinity, her life revolved around the church and school. The Ryan children all learned to contribute to the community and strive to make it better.
Libby’s life seemed to revolve around Ursuline and Serviam. A member of the Class of 1975, sports were important to Libby and Intramurals were her favoritethe prep, the class spirit, and competition would leave her hoarse for a week. She was called to serve her fellow students through Student Council, serving as Freshman Representative, Sophomore class President, and on the Executive Board as a Junior.
After Ursuline, Libby earned a degree in nursing and worked as a Neonatal and Intensive Care Nurse, in pediatric offices, and as a school nurse at St. Rita. Her service was centered around helping new mothers and their children.
Since retiring from nursing, Libby’s free time has been devoted to the Ladies of Charity of Dallas (LOC), an organization her mother helped found in the 60’s. Their mission is to serve those in need.
In 2012, LOC partnered with Vickery Meadow Neighborhood Alliance (VMNA) and opened a food pantry and clothes closet, which serves low-income families and refugees from all over the world. There are 25 different primary spoken languages and often communication is without words - but empathy and compassion are universal languages. Libby spends 2 days a week onsite and performs computer entry at home but once the Christmas project begins, there are tasks seven days a week. Over the years, the project has grown exponentially. They went from serving 90 children 10 years ago to almost 1,000 in 2022. It is a complicated organizational endeavor with months of preparation. Every year Libby’s house is brimming with gifts, not for her own family but our neighbors in need.
“My service is my pleasure, certainly not anything that deserves an award. What I am most proud of is having passed on to others, the understanding of the joy and blessings that service brings.”
Distinguished Alumna Award
The daughter of Dottie and Tom Unis, Cheryl graduated from Ursuline in 1966, having been involved in several school projects including serving as School Chairman of the Leukemia Drive, Yearbook staff, and Class Cheerleader.
Following Ursuline, she attended St. Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans.
Cheryl has dedicated her life to Serviam. Moving to LaGrange, Georgia with her husband, Beau, in the mid ’70s, Cheryl quickly became involved in community needs serving on numerous boards and championing many causes she feels strongly about. She is a founding member of the Junior Service League there, served as a volunteer emergency assistance coordinator for the American Red Cross for 16 years where she was responsible for facilitating emergency communications to military families worldwide, and led the
2024 Distinguished Alumna
Cheryl Unis Mansour ’66
campaign to design and build St. Peter’s Catholic Church, school, and rectory.
In 1992, Cheryl and Beau moved back to Dallas where she quickly re-integrated into the Dallas Community dedicating the last 30 years to working for community foundations and helping donors create their philanthropic legacies. Cheryl served as the Vice President of External Affairs, and Director of Donor and Community Relations for Communities Foundation of Texas before joining The Catholic Foundation, where her father was one of the founders. She honors his legacy with almost two decades of commitment to the Foundation, currently serving as Senior Vice President of Donor Relations. Currently, the Foundation manages assets of over $290 million and over time has granted over $287 million.
A mother of three who is devoted to Catholic education, Cheryl serves her home parish of St. Thomas Aquinas, The Dallas Diocese, and Ursuline Academy as a former member of our Foundation and Strategic Planning Task Forces. She has poured herself into her Catholic community, in both volunteer and work force roles. She has built strong personal relationships with top philanthropists as well as individuals serving in the trenches. Cheryl makes everyone in her life feel cherished. She approaches each day with grace and a true commitment to Serviam.
UrsulineAlumnaeDay SpecialThanks&Acknowledgements
ALUMNAE ASSOCIATION BOARD MEMBERS
Jenn Jascott Crumley '88
Chithra Arumugham Volluz '91
Jenn Kim Wilson '91
Emily Henrich Meister '95
Mary Thornton Hammond Mosley '96
Mauri Whitacre Hinterlong '99
Sarah Crain '03
Rivann Saynhalath Yu '03
Ashley Hardeman Bailey '07
Dee Wallander Rindt '08
Amanda Rivera Johnson '11
Elizabeth Nipper '15
Emily Sims '15
ALUMNAE DAY CHAIRS
Linda Thomas White ’81, Jean Thomas Buys ’82, & Carolyn Thomas Murray ‘87 in Memory of Anne Kerin Thomas ’46 †
