Reflecting on Nearly Three Decades of Connection to Brophy College Preparatory

Triadvocates, Principal

Brophy Community Foundation, Board Member

Brophy College Preparatory, Board of Trustees

Brophy Mom to Billy,  Class of 2020

I have been a volunteer, Brophy mom (Billy Meaney, Class of 2020), and member of the Brophy Community Foundation Board of Directors for nearly three decades.  To set foot on the Brophy campus is to know you have arrived at a very special place.  Brophy College Preparatory is more than a school.  It is a community—one that cares deeply about its members and those around it. Brand new to the world of lobbying and Arizona politics, I had no idea that my efforts to fix an error in legislation that prevented Brophy and Xavier from participating in the private school tax credit program would have such a lasting and profound impact on my life.

I am immensely proud of the good work of the Foundation and the thousands of kids and over thirty-five other schools it has supported over the years.  I’ve seen first-hand the positive effects a top-quality education can have in transforming the lives of students and their families. The Foundation’s impact can be felt in every corner of the state, but you don’t have to look further than Brophy’s courtyard to see miracles happening every day.  Loyola Academy which is funded in part from the private school tax credit is a living, breathing example that with education anything is possible.  Of course, the passion, tenacity, nothing-is-impossible leadership of Director Kendra Krause is a big factor too!  If you have not attended a “Signing Ceremony” for the Loyola Scholars graduating from Brophy, it is absolutely required if you are reading this blog post.  Attendance is a cure-all that is guaranteed to boost your spirits and shore up your optimism for the next generation of leaders. Spoiler alert: bring Kleenex, but they are happy tears.

I don’t just say this as a cheer leader for the Brophy Community Foundation.  I say it as an employer who has gotten the benefit from hiring three amazing young men who were all graduates and scholars of the very first class of Loyola Academy.  Through my volunteer efforts at Brophy, I met Freddy Soto, Nelson de los Santos, and Bobby Baransaka.  Working in the public policy space is not easy in today’s politically charged world, but the energy, exuberance, curiosity, and capabilities each of these men has brought to the office fills me with pride and a sense of joy that I thought I lost in the partisan battlefield.  Serving as a volunteer at Brophy isn’t just about giving back.  It is also about receiving.  It is a gift I am most grateful for all these years later.