As you walk the halls of Sacred Hearts Academy, you will encounter many staff and administrators who have walked through these very same halls.

Whether you’re in the Marian Building or the Administration Building, you will likely encounter Academy alumnae who have returned as teachers and administrators. Some of these include theology Department Chair Leilani Asuncion-Tagupa ‘91, middle school theology teacher Kehau Bugado ‘97, Lower School Principal Cynthia McIntyre ‘91 and President of the Academy Brandy Ann Sato ‘94. These alumnae returned home, as they call it, to the Academy in 2002, 2019, 2023 and 2024, respectively.

“It’s home. The sisters called me three times (to work at the Academy),” said Asuncion-Tagupa, who had already committed to working somewhere else at the time. “But the third time they called me (in 2002), they said, ‘Don’t you want to come home?’ I said, ‘Sister, I wanted to come home for the longest time, and I think this is the time where I’m going to come home.’” 

As alumnae, they were once in the same shoes as the students who walk around campus today. However, according to them, their experiences were slightly different.

From new buildings to the expansion of the programs offered at the Academy, these alumnae share what things have changed since they were students.

“There have been many changes since my time at the Academy as a student,” McIntyre said. “For one, the Performing Arts Center (PAC) used to be an open space with pavilions, where we would eat lunch.”

She also reminisced about life as a senior. 

“Students were not allowed to enter the school through the main steps of the Administration Building (because) that was a senior privilege,” she said. “We had to enter on the 6th or 5th Avenue sides of the school.”

“I remember just sitting under the trees a lot of times, and there used to be vending machines,” said Asuncion-Tagupa, whose daughter currently attends the Academy. “We had a senior pavilion, and only seniors could be there.”

The new buildings are not the only change that has occurred on campus. Sato shares how the Academy now offers many more programs than when she was a student here.

“We didn’t have the Early College program or Advanced Placement (AP) classes,” Sato said. “We didn’t have as many sports and clubs, and we didn’t travel that much when I was here.”

While the Academy has gone through many changes, there are still parts of the school that remain unchanged.

“What hasn’t changed is our mission and our passion for teaching young women and making sure that we provide the best educational experience we can to all of the students,” Sato said. 

As the Academy continues to foster and inspire young women, it leaves long-lasting effects on the lives of many alumnae. The joy and positive memories are often reasons why many of its alumnae have returned to work at the school.

“I think the mission brought me back,” Sato said. “I wanted to also share and pay forward the fun and joy I had when I was a student.”

Similarly, McIntrye said, “I felt a calling to return to serve this community that served me as a student (and) to enable me to have the solid spiritual, academic and social foundation to be where I am today.” 

Upon returning to the school as staff and administration, Academy alumnae enter the campus on a different side of the Lancer community, going from students to staff and administration. As former students, these alumnae now offer a different perspective and way of continuing the mission of the school as they experienced it firsthand.

“I do my best to instill the charisms, the school’s mission and the values of the school that were instilled in me,” Bugado said. She currently has two daughters who attend the Academy, while her oldest daughter just graduated last year.

“On this side, I try to be that advocate; I try to see where (the students are) coming from,” Asuncion-Tagupa said.

The Academy has become home to many of its graduates, a place that alumnae hope to return to, and it is no different for these alumnae. 

“It was always a place I had hoped to come back to,” Bugado said.

“One of the things that I did pray for was that God would give me the chance to come back,” Asuncion-Tagupa said. 

Many students would agree that they often feel like they are ready to leave school and start their adult lives; however, one thing that is not often recognized is the fact that the Academy has become home, even if they only attended for one year or 13 years. Sato describes this feeling by reminiscing about her life after graduation.

“It wasn’t until I went to college, and I got my first job that I realized how special the Academy is,” Sato said. “The students usually feel like they are ready to leave, and then you start realizing how special the place has become in your life.” 

The Academy, according to these alumnae, continues to provide an education for young girls and women that encourages and uplifts them to be women who inspire. 

“I don’t think that I appreciated my education at the Academy until I was older and had an opportunity to look back on what a great experience it was and how integral it was in helping me to be a strong, confident female,” McIntyre said.