Mayfield Senior School: Alumnae Return to Campus for Homecoming 2012 Celebrations

Mayfield Senior School welcomed more than 170 alumnae back to campus on Saturday, June 23 for reunions and reminiscing during the school’s annual Alumnae Homecoming celebrations.

The event kicked off with a special Homecoming Mass and awards ceremony, followed by a cocktail reception, campus tours, class reunions, dinner, and lots of catching up with old friends, classmates and faculty. Alumnae celebrating reunions (classes ending in “2” and “7”) traveled from far and wide—some flew in from the East Coast—to reunite with their classmates.

In keeping with Homecoming tradition, each year Mayfield Senior School presents its highest honor, the Cornelian Award, to an alumna who best exemplifies the Holy Child ideal of service, “Actions not Words.” The individual(s) may be recognized for her family, civic or professional contributions and is nominated by her fellow alumnae. This year’s award was shared by two alumnae—documentary photographer Nicole Franco ’00 and documentary filmmaker Kimberly Bautista ’03.

Their recognition is fitting this year as Mayfield Senior School celebrates the 20th anniversary of the Conservatory for the Arts program on campus. Mayfield is pleased to honor two outstanding alumnae who have used their artistic voice to channel their commitment to service and community.

Nicole Franco ’00’s many projects include A Life Project, a photography exhibit displayed in the Oncology Ward of San Francisco General Hospital in conjunction with the CARE (Cancer Awareness, Resources, and Education) Program. A Life Project was developed as Nicole spent time at CARE group sessions photographing and listening to individual participants tell their stories of struggle and personal triumph. Another of Nicole’s recent projects, which documents the lives of U.S. veterans transitioning from homelessness into supportive housing in San Francisco, was featured at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art in support of the Swords to Plowshares organization’s Homes for Heroes program.

Kimberly Bautista ’03 founded and directed the Intercultural Web Exchange, a video pen-pal web program between young women in Quito, Ecuador and young Chicana women in Pomona, California. The project lasted over three years and culminated in a college prep opportunity for the participants. Kim’s debut feature-length documentary film, Justice For My Sister, was a finalist for the 2010 HBO-NALIP Documentary Cash Award in its rough-cut state. The film explores how one individual can channel pain from a traumatic loss and use it as fuel for personal growth and communal healing. The film illustrated the long-term emotional toll that violent crime has on individuals and on the entire community.

Congratulations, Nicole and Kimberly, for living out the “Actions not Words” motto!