Cincinnati, OH – December 8, 2015 – Saint Ursula Academy students now have a connection with students from Jakarta, Indonesia. A recent service event at Saint Ursula Academy earned some global attention. To the surprise of the students, a hair-cutting event hosted at SUA helped build a better world and make an impact across the globe!
Health teacher Mary Porter received an email from a group of students at Raffles Christian School in Jakarta, Indonesia inquiring about the Pantene Beautiful Lengths event held at Saint Ursula Academy. At that event in October, more than 60 students, faculty, and parents donated hair to provide free wigs for women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.
Through an internet search, the Raffles Christian School stumbled upon the success of the event at Saint Ursula and decided to host its own event. But first, the students needed advice from the Saint Ursula Academy student organizers. Because community service is a focus at Saint Ursula Academy and technology is readily available, a Skype call was set up to connect SUA students with the students in Indonesia. From there, an event was planned.
Saint Ursula Academy seniors Annie Hamiter of Union Township and Maggie Schroeder of Cleves connected with Valerie, Eleora, and John from Indonesia, discussed how they organized the Beautiful Lengths event in Greater Cincinnati and offered advice and recommendations on how to promote the event. From there, the students exchanged email addresses and have had a continuing conversation about the upcoming event in Indonesia.
Annie is encouraged that others have used this event as a springboard for helping women around the world. “Learning and meeting other people who share similar passions was so interesting. It amazes me that my actions had such a positive effect on others. Because of our events, a connection was made between two different groups who were working towards a similar goal of helping those with cancer.”
Annie and Maggie will continue the dialogue with their new friends as the event develops. While they initially thought their project would be a great experience for the Saint Ursula community, they had no idea what an impact they would make and that it would help those in Indonesia as well. The girls, along everyone involved in this project, have learned that building a better world starts with a passion for helping others, and can grow exponentially through technology and collaboration.
St. Ursula Academy is a Catholic, college-preparatory, secondary school for young women known for academic excellence and rich tradition. St. Ursula welcomes students from more than 70 grade schools in the Greater Cincinnati area. In 2002 the Academy was 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 2015 earned college scholarships totaling more than $19-million.
###
Photo Caption: Saint Ursula Academy students Annie Hamiter and Maggie Schroeder use their tablets to collaborate via Skype with students from Indonesia. The Indonesian students contacted them for assistance in planning a
Pantene Beautiful Lengths event after learning about the same type of event, which was recently hosted at Saint Ursula Academy.