Rosemary Vrablic ’78 Distinguished Speaker Series

The Ursuline School featured an exciting and important speaker as part of the school’s Rosemary Vrbalic ’78 Distinguished Speaker Series.

Carla Harris, Vice Chairman, Managing Director and Senior Client Advisor at Morgan Stanley, spoke to students via Zoom on October 4, 2021 about being “the best you;” building a network; career progression; persevering through obstacles; the importance of giving back to the community; and her strong commitment to the Catholic faith.

Students took the message to heart. Anaya Balkcom ’22 said, “ I loved Ms. Harris’ presentation! It was refreshing to receive this insightful knowledge from a woman who is as distinguished and intelligent as Ms. Harris. She provided us with the tools we need to go into college as well as the workforce.”

“Ms. Harris’ enchanting energy could be felt through the screen. Her morals and words of wisdom align with all that The Ursuline School strives to be,” said Madelyn LaScala ’23, CoPresident and Founder of the Future Women in Business Club.

Our Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Ms. Chestnut, introduced Ms. Harris to the student assembly, noting that in her 30-year career, Ms. Harris has had extensive industry experiences in the technology, media, retail, telecommunications, transportation, industrial, and healthcare sectors. In August 2013, Carla Harris was appointed by President Barack Obama to chair the National Women’s Business Council. Prior to joining Morgan Stanley, Ms. Harris received an MBA, Second Year Honors from Harvard Business School, and an AB in economics from Harvard University, Magna Cum Laude.

Carla Harris is actively involved in her community and heartily believes that “we are blessed so that we can be a blessing to someone else.” She is the past Chair of the Board of the Morgan Stanley Foundation and of The Executive Leadership Council, and sits on the boards of Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO), The Sesame Workshop, Mother Cabrini Foundation and is an active member of the St. Charles Gospelites of the St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church and the Mark Howell Singers.

Outside the financial world, Carla Harris is a singer who has sold out concerts at the Apollo Theatre and released her third gospel CD “Unceasing Praise” (2011). She has performed five sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall. Ms. Harris is also the author of the books, Strategize to Win (2014) and of Expect to Win (2009) (Hudson Press).

Christopher Pope Photography

On September 22, 2021 we were pleased to welcome Dr. Janet Taylor to address the topic of emotional/social wellbeing of students. Dr. Taylor is a renowned psychiatrist who deals with adolescent anxiety. We realize that students were glad to return to full in-person learning but many felt stress as they navigated classroom and social situations while staying healthy during the continued COVID environment.

Dr. Taylor spoke with high school students, and separately to middle school students, about wellness techniques to help them remain healthy. Dr. Taylor shared, “Things we don’t have control of should not impact how we feel.” She emphasized the importance of gaining our self-awareness from connections to people, not from what we see on a screen or social media. In keeping with our school motto of Serviam, Dr. Taylor reminded us, “helping others can help us to feel better.”

Dr. Janet Taylor holds an M.D. from the University of Louisville, completed her psychiatric residency at New York Medical College, and obtained an MPH from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. Dr. Taylor has appeared on This Morning, NBC The Today Show, and ABC Good Morning America on the subjects of stress management, parenting, and work-life balance.

Parents appreciated their special presentation by Dr. Taylor on September 23rd. Ursuline had many special activities planned for students in all grades to welcome them back to school after what has been an incredibly challenging year. Dr. Taylor’s presentation was part of our Rosemary Vrablic ’78 Distinguished Speaker Series.

As part of our continued focus on the health and wellness of our students, our Rosemary Vrablic ‘78 Distinguished Speaker Series on December 9, 2021 welcomed Dr. Jean Twenge, psychologist and author of iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy--and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

Dr. Twenge is a subject matter expert on generational differences. During presentations to parents and then students, she offered a cultural context and substantial data to describe trends in adolescence, mental health and happiness, and social/digital media.

Dr. Twenge told students “Your generation is the first to spend their entire adolescence in a time of smartphones, and that has had ripple effects.”

She acknowledged the benefits of technology but also suggested strategies for reducing screen time, developing independence, and focusing on in-person social interactions.

Jean M. Twenge, Professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, is the author of more than 150 scientific publications and 6 books including Generation Me: Why Today’s Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled — and More Miserable Than Ever Before and The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement (coauthored with W. Keith Campbell).

Her research has been covered in Time, Newsweek, The New York Times, USA Today, U.S. News and World Report, and The Washington Post, and she has been featured on Today, Good Morning America, CBS This Morning, Fox and Friends, NBC Nightly News, Dateline NBC, and National Public Radio.

She holds a BA and MA from the University of Chicago and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.