Alumnae Spotlights
The Guest Sisters '99, '01, '03
A FAMILY TRADITION
Dr. Megan Guest Rosso '99 and Dr. Colleen Guest Marchetta '01
Left to right: Katie Guest Kurek, Esq. '03, Colleen Guest Marchetta, D.O., FAAEM '01, and Megan Guest Rosso, D.O., FACEP '99
A FAMILY TRADITION - THE GUEST SISTERS
One of the words one will most often hear associated with Nazareth Academy High School is “sisterhood.” It is something that is palpable in the hallways, athletic fields, and classrooms at Nazareth.
For Megan Guest Rosso ‘99, Colleen Guest Marchetta ’01, and Katie Guest Kurek ’03, the word takes on an extra special meaning as these real-life sisters used Nazareth as a springboard for stellar careers in medicine and law while staying committed to making the world around them a better place.
“At Nazareth, I learned that we are a community at heart,” Marchetta said. “We are a community of faith both in the school as well as our local and global communities. There are no strangers, only sisters and brothers in the Lord. We have the responsibility to respond to the needs of others because we are all part of God’s family. The importance of service is a lesson I try to exemplify and teach my children.”
This drive to serve the community is something that all three sisters have pursued in both their time as students at Nazareth and in their professional and personal lives.
Rosso, the eldest of the three, is currently an attending physician at Virtua Voorhees and Virtua Camden after stints at Doylestown Hospital, Presbyterian Medical Center and Albert Einstein Medical Center while Marchetta works as an emergency medicine physician at the Penn Medicine Princeton Medical Center.
It is a career path that both sisters come by honestly as their father was an ER doctor and their mother was an ER nurse.
“Our parents exemplified the Jesuit philosophy that ‘Our education is for the service of others,’” Marchetta said. “I always admired their compassion toward others, as well as their dedication to a life of service in the medical field.”
While Marchetta and Rosso followed in their parents’ footsteps, Kurek, the youngest of the three, is a graduate of Rutgers University, School of Law, and currently works as a Regulatory Officer at the New Jersey Department of Health, Office of Legal and Regulatory Compliance.
Kurek, much like her sisters, was strongly influenced by her parents’ call to service.
“I am doing what I love by working in public service at the Department of Health,” Kurek said. “I find that working in public service is a very gratifying job where I can use my education and skills to help our community stay healthy and safe by supporting public health efforts in our communities.”
While all three sisters have had their share of professional successes, they have also found balance in their personal lives remaining close to each other and their Nazareth roots as they are married and raise their families – Rosso and Kurek have three children and Marchetta has four - within a half an hour of each other.
“My sisters are not only my best friends, but my role models,” Marchetta said. “I learn from both of them every day. They are amazing mothers, sisters, friends and professionals. I know I can always count on them for advice during difficult times.”
Each sister has also found time to pursue other ambitions such as athletics and travel as Marchetta competes in triathlons and Kurek and Rosso studied in London and Australia, respectively.
Rosso even runs her own lifestyle blog called mamasnmedicine.com, that she describes as “our little way for women to share tips about quality products and ideas that simplify life and bring joy. “
Despite all of their accomplishments, these three women still credit their time at Nazareth with giving them the strong educational and spiritual foundation to take on all of the challenges they would face.
“The all-women academic community of Nazareth Academy taught me so much about the importance of women supporting women – because, let’s face it – being a woman is not easy!” Rosso said. “Raising a family and working in healthcare are challenging jobs. They can be rewarding, exciting, exhausting, difficult and emotional all in one.”
“As a woman in society, you are often taught that you are in competition with one another,” Marchetta said echoing her sister’s sentiment. “The friendships I formed at Nazareth taught me the ‘power of the pack.’ I learned that our true power as women is in raising each other up, celebrating our victories collectively, and channeling the power of collaboration. My Nazareth friends have taught me that when you empower other women, we all shine.”
Fortunately, that shine is something the Guest sisters have brought to the Nazareth community for many years.
Maj Christine Kawoczka Krueger '04
MAJ Christine Kawoczka Krueger '04 and her husband, MAJ David Krueger
The Krueger Family
While one might not often associate the halls of an all-girls Catholic high school as the place where future military leaders of America are nurtured, Nazareth Academy has a strong tradition of alumnae who have served proudly in the United States Armed Forces.
One such graduate is Major Christine Krueger.
After graduating from Nazareth in 2004, Krueger attended the United States Military Academy where she earned a degree in Engineering Management in 2008 before pursuing a career in aviation.
“I am grateful for the nurturing environment and the challenging academics that Nazareth provided.” Krueger said. “It prepared me exceptionally well for West Point.”
After graduation, Krueger was commissioned as an Aviation Officer and earned her pilot’s wings as a UH-60 Blackhawk pilot. Since that time, she has amassed over 500 combat flight hours and achieved Pilot in Command status after serving as an Assistant Operations Officer fulfilling roles as both Battle Captain and Air Mission Request Officer while on deployment in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012. She has earned the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, and the Combat Action Badge.
She was recently promoted to operations researcher at the Center for Army Analysis.
Throughout her career, education has always remained a strong focus in Krueger’s life as she has earned Master’s degrees in Project Management from Drexel University in 2014 and Operation Research from Northeastern University in 2017. She has also worked as an assistant professor in the Department of Systems Engineering at the United States Military Academy.
This pursuit of knowledge is something Krueger says was fostered at Nazareth.
“The school sparked my lifelong pursuit of learning,” Krueger said. “Additionally, the confidence the school encouraged in me set the foundation for the leader I would become and continue to evolve as.”
When not working Krueger enjoys spending time with her husband, Major David Krueger, a strategist at the National Defense University, and her children Abigail (5) and James (2).
