I am currently nearing the end of my senior year at Blessed Trinity, and though it has been very busy, I constantly am reminded of the gift that it is to be the healthy, young woman that I am. But for many people around the world, that is unfortunately not the case.

If you followed along with my fundraiser last year, you may know that my grandmother, Mary Irene Flaherty, passed away from Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma on July 12, 2006, just four months before I was born. Though I never got to meet my Grandma Irene, through my family I have witnessed the love she poured out during her life. The memory of my Grandma Irene has been influential for me throughout my life as I have gotten to hear stories of hers, see photos of the beaming smile she had, and learn about her career as a nurse (which I plan on pursuing next fall as I head off to college!) Oh and it's pretty great that we share the same name. 

Though I am beyond thankful for the legacy of my Grandma Irene, I want to ensure that granddaughters of the generations to come have the opportunity to hear stories and see beaming smiles of their grandmothers firsthand. My dedication to SVOY is more than just a 7-week competition, it is a desire to unite families, a desire to have a healthy world, a desire to find a cure. 

Here is a photo of me holding a photo of my Grandma Irene before I went to the Student Visionaries of the Year 2024 Gala