Alumnae Profile: Vicky Bush-Joseph '74 | Law and Philanthropy

Vicky Bush-Joseph ’74’s commitment to social justice and community improvement started during her time as a student at Magnificat. Inspired by a high school experience hosting a Peruvian exchange student, she began traveling internationally and studying languages—experiences that would shape her worldview.

After Magnificat, Bush-Joseph attended Loyola University of Chicago, where she majored in Spanish literature. From there, she began her legal career as a paralegal at a Chicago law firm, where her Spanish skills proved invaluable in translating for clients. The legal world soon sparked a desire for further education in law school, and she earned a JD from Loyola’s School of Law. This led to various roles, including positions as in-house counsel at AT&T and Ameritech, and eventually a private practice focused on adoptions and reproductive rights.

Much of Bush-Joseph’s work focused on improving laws impacting families in Illinois. She was instrumental in helping pass legislation to increase access to fertility treatments. She realized that advocating for policy change could transform lives, and it became her personal mission. After retiring, she continued to pour her time and energy into global philanthropy, supporting women and girls worldwide.

Through her work on the Board of Directors for Together Women Rise, Bush-Joseph has traveled to remote communities across the globe, including Malawi, Ethiopia, Guatemala, India, and Zambia. But her travels are never about checking places off a list. Instead, she’s committed

to building genuine connections with the people she meets, learning their stories, and witnessing firsthand the transformative impact of the organization’s 12 annual grants.

During a trip to Guatemala in 2020, she connected with a young woman who had received support to complete nursing school. She returned two years later to see this same young woman thriving and giving back to her community by helping mothers care for their newborns and developing a homemade and affordable alternative to Pedialyte.

“We’re helping women and girls succeed, but they’re the ones who know what their communities need most,” she said. “We’re just helping fund their vision.”

Her passion for empowering women and girls also extends to her work with World Bicycle Relief, an organization that provides specially designed bicycles to students, primarily young girls, to ensure they can safely get to school. She also is involved on the local level with Impact Grants Chicago.

“Magnificat was great at showing women they could do anything,” she said, recalling the role models she encountered there, from teachers to classmates. Sister Dominica, who inspired her love of music, remains a cherished memory. Although she set aside singing after high school, Bush-Joseph returned to it later in life, joining the Sounds Good Choir in her community. Last summer, she even participated in a weeklong choir camp, performing a social justice piece commissioned by the University of Michigan.

Married for 42 years with three adult children, BushJoseph remains based in Chicago but continues to make an impact globally. As she looks ahead to upcoming trips with Together Women Rise to the Dominican Republic and Indonesia, she remains driven by a simple, powerful vision: to be part of a movement where communities worldwide have what they need to thrive, and women and girls can access education, support, and opportunities to transform their own lives and those around them.