Empowering Possibilities: Career Day 2025 at SCA

On Friday, April 4, 2025, St. Catherine of Siena Academy opened its doors—and our students' eyes—to a world of opportunity during Career Day. Designed especially for our juniors and seniors, the Class of 2025 and Class of 2026 had the unique chance to explore a variety of professional paths, connect with alumnae and industry leaders, and imagine their future careers through the lens of faith, ambition, and possibility.

The day began with a keynote address by Brenna Cavanaugh, Class of 2023 valedictorian and current Forensic Biology major at West Virginia University. Brenna returned to SCA to reflect on her transition to college and the unshakable foundation her SCA education and faith have given her.

“With the strong academics at SCA, I was prepared in ways I didn’t realize until I got to college,” Brenna shared. “But more importantly, I had a spiritual foundation to fall back on when things felt uncertain. My life doesn't look much like what I thought it would today. But my hope is that it is God's plan.”

Her message reminded students that success isn’t always linear—and that trusting in God's timing is part of the journey.

After Brenna’s talk, students chose from a lineup of 14 breakout sessions led by professionals in fields ranging from engineering to education, medicine to marketing, design to justice. Many of our speakers were proud SCA alumnae, offering a full-circle moment of mentorship.

2025 Career Day Speakers:

• Simone Ristovski – Finance Manager, Ford Motor Company
• Danielle Alexander – College Professor & Researcher
• Dr. Jacquelin Pozdol ('16) – Veterinarian
• Anne Marie Clinger ('20) – Electrical Engineer, Whirlpool
• Anna Theeck ('15) – Physician Assistant
• Sumer Petrous – Mechanical Engineer
• Rasha Kesto – PA in Robotic Surgery
• Brooke Sheena Sagherian – Speech and Language Pathologist
• Pamela Schmieder ('16) – UX Designer, Consumers Energy
• Judge Cheryl A. Matthews – Circuit Court Judge
• Ann Kenyon – Architect & VP, SmithGroup
• Valerie Vig – President, J.S. Vig Construction
• Rachel Ganss ('18) – Food Scientist, Domino’s Pizza
• Natalie McElroy – Forensic Technician, Michigan State Police

Each session offered students real-world insight and practical advice, but even more powerful was the encouragement to trust their values and believe in their God-given potential.

Career Day is a wonderful tradition at SCA, made possible by the generosity of time, talent, and testimony from our extended community. We’re deeply grateful to our speakers—especially our alumnae—who are showing today’s students what’s possible with courage, hard work, and grace.

To our alumnae: thank you for coming home to SCA. Your mentorship, your presence, and your witness to faith in action remind us that sisterhood is for life—not just for four years.

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For more photos from Career Day, click here!