– A group of students from Saint Ursula Academy just completed the trip of a lifetime! Six girls and two teachers joined delegates, UN members, UN entities and accredited non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) from all over the world at the United Nations in New York City from March 10-15. They traveled to participate in the Working Group on Girls, which was part of the 62nd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW62).
The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women.
Students participated in an interview process to be considered for a spot on the trip. Students selected were Karissa Bohme ’19 of Oakley, Josie Buendia ’19 of Anderson Twp., Annalese Cahill ’19 of Crescent Springs, KY, Karley Cappel ’19 of Delhi Twp., Amanda Carrick ’19 of Green Twp., and Macie Grisemer ’19 of Anderson Twp. Faculty chaperones who accompanied the students were Lisa Baute Caito ’00 and Linda Thomas.
The students had special access to several sessions on issues affecting women across the globe. The priority theme of this year’s commission focused on the challenges and opportunities in achieving gender equality and the empowerment of rural women and girls. Other topics included participation in and access of women to the media, and information and communications technologies and their impact on and use as an instrument for the advancement and empowerment of women.
“On our trip to the United Nations, we were struck by the overwhelming representation of men and women from all around the world working together to advocate for gender equality, the 5th sustainable development goal the UN is trying to achieve by 2030,” said junior Annalese Cahill.
Junior Karley Cappel added, “We attended multiple events regarding the rights of rural women and girls within the Headquarters and the surrounding areas. It was incredible to network with major representatives of the UN and immerse ourselves within the diversity of the city and delegates from over 100 countries.
“We have applied all that we learned into various facets of our experience as Saint Ursula Academy students,” said Amanda Carrick, also a junior.
This trip was made possible by the Ursuline Education Network (UEN), the national organization of Ursuline schools in North America. Also participating in the trip were students from Ursuline Academy in Cincinnati, Ursuline Academy in Dallas, Ursuline Academy in Dallas, The Academy of Mt. St. Ursula in the Bronx, and Ursuline School in New Rochelle, NY.
Saint Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. Saint Ursula welcomes students from more than 90 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. The Academy is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as a Blue Ribbon School. The campus, located at 1339 E. McMillan Street in East Walnut Hills has been the home of St. Ursula Academy and Convent since 1910. The Class of 2017 earned college scholarships totaling more than $21-million.
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