By Abby Birk

As time draws to a close for the Sacred Heart Academy Class of 2018, and we prepare to begin our lives beyond high school, it is important to reflect on the many cherished opportunities that made us Valkyries — strong women of great faith.

From the first day we stepped onto the Ursuline campus as freshmen, we were presented with valuable opportunities, the first of which was the opportunity to receive an excellent education. The variety of courses offered at SHA ranges from college-level International Baccalaureate classes to unique electives, such as forensic science, ceramics, and convergent media, ensuring we each took classes that interested us and prepared us for the future.

We received instruction from dedicated and talented teachers who spent countless hours working to develop unique ways to teach us, whether it was creating a song to help us conjugate verbs in Spanish class or creating a poverty simulation in theology class to expand our understanding of the plight of others.

Of course, the opportunities SHA has given us extend well beyond the classroom. SHA encouraged us to develop our individual talents, providing life lessons and cultivating lifelong passions.

In athletics, our victories taught us the value of dedication and teamwork and the joy that comes with winning, while our losses taught us to pick each other up and filled us with a hunger and a drive that compel us toward greater success in the future.

Artistically, the countless hours spent in the studio or rehearsing to produce works of art and inspiring performances helped individual talents blossom, while the finished products showcased our gifts and enhanced the lives of our entire community with the truths our works revealed and the dreams they awakened.

Sacred Heart also provided us the opportunity to deepen our faith and further serve our community. The retreats at SHA allowed us to better understand our relationship with God through many different experiences.

Freshman year introduced us to the unique SHA community, while sophomore year emphasized showing reverence for God and all of his creation. Junior retreat gave us the opportunity to serve others and opened our eyes to new perspectives, while senior retreat culminated our personal journey of reflection, faith, and friendship.

Additionally, we had the profound opportunity to read and hear Immaculée Ilibagiza’s story of her faith journey amidst the horrors of the Rwandan genocide. The opportunity to hear Immaculée’s message of how Catholicism helped her embrace Jesus’ message of forgiveness left us all amazed by the beauty of her faith in the face of one of history’s great horrors. We will forever remember Immaculee’s visit to campus and how she helped us recognize how our faith can connect us to God and the entire global community.

These opportunities enabled each of us to excel as students, athletes, artists, actresses, Christians, stewards, and leaders by finding our place at Sacred Heart Academy.

As freshmen we walked into school for Frosh Start welcomed by smiling seniors into what we would soon call our second home. This event marked our initiation into a community of classmates, mentors, teammates, best friends, and sisters. Now the Class of 2018 has a new opportunity: the opportunity to take the spirit of Sacred Heart and all it has afforded us to bless the world with more Valkyries – strong women of great faith.

Abby Birk graduated from Sacred Heart Academy this spring and plans to attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall.