Alumnae Spotlights

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. 

The experience that I had at Nazareth Academy is a huge component to the many successes that I have had both during my career, working as financial advisor and owning an Ameriprise franchise, and in my personal life as a wife and mother. Outside of academics, some of the most important life lessons I learned happened during my time at Nazareth Academy. I was taught the value of family, how to prioritize my goals, both personal and professional, and the true meaning of sisterhood. Experiencing and being a part of the sisterhood is something that I not only cherish for myself, but hope that one day my daughter, Madeline (11), gets to experience as well.

After graduating from Nazareth in 1998, I went on to attend Villanova University, majoring in finance. I have worked for the same company since I graduated college in 2002 and am now a proud owner of an Ameriprise franchise myself. During my time at Villanova, I met my husband Charles, and we married in 2007.

Charles and I have resided in Langhorne since 2005 and became parents to our daughter, Madeline, in 2010. Madeline is currently in sixth grade at Nazareth Academy Grade School. Our family is committed to supporting Nazareth Academy and ensuring that this wonderful school continues to flourish and grow. To us, Nazareth is family and that is why I volunteer for Nazareth, why my husband Charles is a board member, and why Nazareth will always remain at the top of our donation list. We can’t wait to see Nazareth continue to grow and produce the leaders of tomorrow!

My time at Nazareth Academy truly shaped me into the person I am today. Nazareth provided me with countless opportunities, both educational and service, that I am thankful for to this day. One of the best decisions I ever made was being involved in CSC and community service at St. Francis soup kitchen. Not only am I still involved with that organization today, but while volunteering there through Nazareth, I ended up meeting my husband, Fred, while serving at the St. Francis soup kitchen together.

Nazareth prepared me not just for college but for life. I had many great teachers there that have remained a positive influence on me. From Sister Josepha to Sister Mary Joan — they pushed me outside of my box and shaped me into the woman, wife, and mother I am today. Not only did Nazareth provide a solid educational foundation, but it gave me a good work ethic while reinforcing Catholic values. Nazareth was, and continues to be, a place where young women are encouraged to explore and to excel.

My husband, Fred, and I are adamant in our support of Nazareth Academy. We firmly believe in the powerful impact that Catholic, single-sex education has on young minds and recognize through our own experiences, and those of our children, the powerful way it can influence one’s life. I am extremely grateful for my Nazareth experience and want to provide that same opportunity to other young women. I also realize that many women do not support their educational institutions in the same way that men do, and I want to be a leader in changing that so future women can receive the same opportunities as their male counterparts.

I always had high expectations of my experience attending Nazareth Academy as a member of the Class of 1962. Even in 1958, I realized how lucky I was to receive a four-year scholarship to Nazareth. My Nazareth memories are full of hard work, fun times, and good friends and I couldn’t think of a more supportive and friendly environment to spend my high school years.

After graduating as valedictorian in 1962, I was among a handful of women that continued my education at Temple University’s school of business. Upon graduation from Temple, I became one of the first three women hired by the Federal government in Philadelphia to become a National Bank Examiner. Over the course of the next 15 years of working for the Federal government, I married my husband, John, and we relocated to Central Pennsylvania. Our first daughter, Betsy, was born when I was 39, and two years later, we had our daughter, Molly.

During the 1980s, I left my job with the Federal government to focus on family and raising our two young daughters. While my girls were growing up, I was able to contribute to various community organizations as well as the public-school system. I was a proud founding, organizing and supporting member of the New Oxford Area Library from its inception in 1983 until my “retirement” in 2016. I resumed my career with the Federal Government in 2000, this time working in Washington D.C. with the Eisenhower Memorial Commission. While I retired from my position with the Commission in 2008, I was proud to be there for its dedication in 2020.

I am passionate about my support of Nazareth, and “I want to see Nazareth Academy continue to grow and thrive. I give to the tuition assistance fund each year to pay back what I was given and to enable more girls to have the advantages of a Nazareth education.” Supporting Nazareth is critical in this day and age with “school choice more important than ever today.”

As 1985 graduates of Merion Mercy Academy and Saint Joseph’s Preparatory High School, my husband Steve and I knew we wanted the same type of private Catholic education for our daughter, Ella ’22. We understood the importance of attending a high school that not only offered a rigorous college preparatory curriculum, but also a family environment, a “Sisterhood” where friendships could be made that would last a lifetime; a place that Ella could call her “second home.” Nazareth Academy’s deep-rooted sense of family was portrayed by the faculty, administration, current students, and parents that we met during our Open House and interview process. Knowing that “family” is the single most important influence on a child’s life, NAHS seemed to be the perfect fit for Ella’s high school education.

From Ella’s first week as a freshman to now entering her senior year, Nazareth is everything we expected it would be. The NAHS Sisterhood encourages loving and accepting a person for who they are, and consistently inspiring that person to reach their highest potential. The “Sisterhood” continuously empowers our girls to become the best version of themselves every day through community service, athletics, student government, clubs, organizations, and having fun. There is truly a place for everyone. Academically, NAHS challenges Ella daily to strive for excellence, to build character, and to develop leadership, which when combined, serve to educate the whole person. The NAHS education model has been highly successful in allowing Ella to grow intellectually, spiritually, and socially. As parents, we simply could not be happier.

Steve and I realized early on that NAHS relies heavily on parent support to mold our girls into inspired life-long learners and to develop them into the future leaders of our society. We decided to support NAHS in any way that we can via financial donations and volunteer service opportunities, all for the betterment of our school and our girls. Our commitment was further enhanced when I became the President of NAPA (Nazareth Academy Parents' Association) in the Spring of 2020. The COVID pandemic was in full-swing when I assumed the Presidential role, so I was unclear as to how I was going to make my time as NAPA President a successful one. Fortunately, with lots of creativity and by “thinking outside the box,” we were able to excite the entire Nazareth Community, including alumnae, to help make last year one of NAPA’s best years in NAHS history! I am so grateful for the outpouring of support that NAPA has received during the most difficult year in the school’s history, and quite possibly one of the most difficult in our Nation’s history. The show of support has been nothing short of AMAZING! This being yet another example of the NAHS Sisterhood in action and why Nazareth was most definitely the right place for Ella.

Steve, Ella, and I are happy to have become part of the Nazareth Academy Community and will continue to support NAHS for years to come.

Although I graduated from Nazareth 25 years ago and much has changed in my life, my time there was a critical component to my path forward and helped shape the woman I am today. I graduated in 1996 from Nazareth and went on to attend the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Finance and Marketing and graduating Magna Cum Laude.

I began my career at Donaldson, Lufkin and Jenrette in New York City as an analyst in Investment Banking. My career progressed, and I ultimately became the head of the group and the first female on our Executive Committee. As one of 30 female Managing Directors, we were chosen to identify an issue at the firm and work with the Board of Directors to address it. We worked to change and improve the structure of the Investment Banking Analyst Program to ensure work/ life balance and rewarding assignments for incoming employees.

During my time as the Head of Diversity for Leveraged Finance, I worked to ensure women and racially-diverse employees were given opportunities to be hired, trained, and developed in order to achieve success at the firm. After 20 years with my firm, I retired from Credit Suisse this year and shifted my focus to spending more time with my children and helping children in need through two charities about which I am passionate.

Nazareth taught me the importance of self-confidence and self-worth. We were young girls maturing into young women, and at this critical turning point, we were challenged to truly invest in our future, to learn and grow both academically and socially. During my time at school, I was afforded the opportunity to build my self-esteem through a vast variety of extracurricular activities. I was exposed to healthy competition, performing in public and bonding with the women from our school. Our traditions such as Freshman Day, Ring Day, Blue & Gold Day and Class Day foster a sense of belonging and pride in self and school.

It was at Nazareth that I met my closest friends: friends who would be my bridesmaids; friends that I called first with news of my engagement and births of my children; friends who were there for me when my grandmother passed; friends that have become my family. These women formed an unparalleled support system; they know me in the truest way possible (and still love me)! We have reveled in each other’s success and have been a pillar of strength and support for one another during difficult times of our respective journeys. A group of us gather once a year to reminisce, share our experiences over the course of the year, and simply enjoy being in one another’s company.

Nazareth is part of my actual family now as well. My sister, Jenna, is a junior at Nazareth. I could not be prouder of the strong young woman she is. Jenna has discovered the same strong friendships, along with opportunities to compete in athletics, to challenge herself academically and to grow as a person. I am incredibly excited for her to take her own journey at this special place.