March is known as Women’s History Month, a four week long celebration that hits especially close to home for the students and faculty of OLLA, seeing as our entire student body is made up of young women. To commemorate this month, Lourdes hosted their Second Annual Career Fair, where Alumnae shared the careers they chose, and highlighted how attending this highschool helped them discover their passions.

Before students broke off into groups to explore their own personal interests, the student body was greeted by this event’s keynote speaker, Melissa Medina ‘97 who spoke about her entrepreneurial endeavors in the tech industry. Medina and her father have successfully created over 7000 jobs in Miami, and she accredits her achievements to how involved she was in high school. Activities such as track and field and cheerleading taught her valuable lessons in teamwork that she carried into her business strategy. 

After graduating, Medina attended the University of Florida and later went to Graduate school at ESADE in Barcelona. She planned to move to New York City to gain experience in her field before returning to Miami to settle down, but after the attack of September 11th, the seamlessly perfect outline she had of her life shifted drastically.

Medina emphasized the fact that, “When you have a plan, God laughs,” and learning to roll with the punches of life is the only way to successfully achieve your goals. 

After hearing this inspired Keynote address, students broke off into smaller groups that better fit their individual interests. Lawyers, philanthropists, doctors, CEO’s, educators, and various other empowered women spoke to students from all grades for the remainder of the afternoon.  They provided pointers, advice, and insider information which gave the girls a better understanding of exactly how their desired profession is in real life.

This tradition is one that is extremely beneficial to all, and shows the connections and opportunity that attending Lourdes Academy presents.