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BSS Alum Mary First

- Mary First, MD
  
  BSS class of 2012
  
  What's your earliest or most vivid memory from your time at BSS?
  Some of my earliest memories were from our "color days" in Kindergarten with Mrs. Drew! I missed our first color day because I was sick, and I remember being so excited for "brown day," which (I think) was our second color day! It was so fun to have my Mom help pick out an outfit and go to the school matching with all my friends, where we learned about the color brown. Mrs. Drew made every day in Kindergarten an amazing day!
  Who was a teacher or staff member who really stuck with you, and why?
  Mrs. Nord! Her enthusiasm for teaching and for her students led science to be my favorite subject in school, and I never stopped loving it! I can still remember how "cool" I felt sitting at the lab tables in her classroom. And I'll never forget her dancing guinea pigs!
  What do you think BSS gave you that you couldn't have gotten somewhere else?
  I think BSS did a great job of making sure their students learned to "live lives of service." Volunteering at the Salvation Army as a middle schooler was my first time experiencing what it meant to prioritize the well-being of my entire community, and it's a message I've tried my best to take with me everywhere since that time.
  Where has life taken you since graduating Blessed Sacrament?
  Since graduating from BSS, I attended and graduated from West High School (Go Regents!), moved to St. Louis for my undergraduate degree at SLU (Go Billikens!) and then returned to Madison in 2020. I worked as a nursing assistant at Meriter Hospital for a few years, then went back to school and graduated from medical school this past spring from UW-Madison! My husband, Casey, and I just moved to Portland, Oregon and I'm starting a pediatric residency here at OHSU.
  Looking back, how did your time at BSS help shape the person you are today?
  There are several ways, but one specific example is my love for working with kids! My first job was working as a lifeguard/swim instructor in high school, and I remember feeling so much more at ease working with little kids my first summer after our "big buddy/ little buddy" program at BSS.
  What's stayed the same about BSS over the years? What has changed in ways that surprise you?
  I love that many of the long-lasting traditions, like the Christmas concert and the musical have stayed the same! In terms of change, it's always bittersweet to hear about all of the faculty and staff from my day who have retired, but it's so fun to see and hear about the new teachers who have come as well!
  What would you say to a family who's considering BSS today?
  If you want your child to look back at their school experience 14+ years later with a positive lens, BSS is the place for you! Students at BSS will get a huge breadth of experiences outside of the regular curriculum (which is great and still very important, of course)! Experiences such as learning to be kind, to be a good friend, to be a leader and also a great team player, to serve their communities, to explore the arts... BSS has it all!
  In the last few years, we've adopted an unofficial slogan of "Friars Forever." What does that phrase mean to you?
  It means there will always be a community for me. One of my best friends from BSS is getting married this year and it's crazy to think we may not have been life-long friends if it wasn't for Blessed Sacrament (and of course the West Side Swim Club!)