Alumna of the Year Offers Advice to Upperclassmen

Friday, Feb. 2, the Sacred Heart Academy juniors and seniors heard from Alumna of the Year, Alice Biedenbender Fisher from the class of 1985. Fisher lives in Washington D.C. but was in town for the Alumni Awards banquet the night before where she was honored as Alumna of the Year.

Fisher received the prestigious honor of Alumna of the Year due to her successful past in public service and the example she has led for current and future Valkyries. She continued her academic career completing her undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt University, and went on to study law at Catholic University of America. She is currently a Managing Partner of the Washington D.C. office of Latham & Watkins and is a member of the firm’s executive committee. She has served as Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division of the U.S. Department of Justice and was recently a top contender for the position of FBI Director, but withdrew her name from consideration. Fisher is recognized as one of “Washington’s Most Influential Women Lawyers” by the National Law Journal and was rated among the top 45 lawyers internationally by American Lawyer.

At Sacred Heart, Fisher was 100 Club President. For this reason, she was ecstatic to see the crowd of juniors and seniors dressed in their class colors red and blue, respectively, for the Winter Pep Rally later that day. Fisher took speaking to the Valkyries as an opportunity to repeatedly remind them how “fabulous” they are.

During her speech, Fisher provided the upperclassmen with 5 tips for the future:
1. Be open to opportunities
2. Stand firm
3. Speak up
4. Be inclusive
5. Expect Equality

With each tip, she told the students a story detailing how she has applied it throughout her life and career, recounting experiences such as dealing with 9/11 in her relatively new position of Deputy United States Assistant Attorney General for the Criminal Division, and her experience as a woman in a male-dominated field.

Beth Klem, who nominated Alice Fisher for the Alumni of the Year Award, said “Alice has dedicated, through her professional career, much of her time and energy into developing young girls and young women. She believes that we, all Sacred Heart Valkyries and all women, can be anything that we want, and it’s her passion, whether it’s in her professional life or in her personal life, to help encourage and empower young girls today.”

Fisher’s speech was an opportunity for the students to hear from a successful woman who completely embodies Sacred Heart’s new mission: Learners to Leaders. Throughout her career, when asked where she learned her values or how she was shaped into the person she is today, she has always attributed it all to Sacred Heart and her time as a Valkyrie.