Class of 2024 Salutatorians
Julia Holt
Julia embraced each opportunity she pursued at Mercy with confidence and a willingness to take risks. Her Mercy education allowed her to grow this confidence and she hopes to encourage all women to push through barriers females traditionally face in order to fulfill their potential to make a difference in the world.
We are grateful for Julia in sharing her outstanding talents with us through Mercyaires and our performing arts productions - including both the fall plays and spring musicals for each year she has been here. She is Varsity Tennis Team Co-Captain; Mimes Club Student Director; Link Crew Leader/Commissioner; Vice President of International Thespian Society; One-Love Retreat Leader; Scouting Lead for FIRST Robotics Team; National Honor Society member and participant in the Junior Classical League where she has earned distinguished proficiency awards. This is all while pursuing a rigorous curriculum, including 7 AP classes resulting in a 4.0 GPA. Julia is a 2023-24 MHSAA Scholar Athlete and a Commended Student in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program and will graduate with Summa Cum Laude status!
She is committed to being a Voice for Dignity and Respect and has ensured this core value is reflected in her leadership roles. Julia is driven by a passion to make a difference, and understands that a focus on equity is essential. Her goal is to have an impact on the creation of evolving technologies, championing so that unbiased data is used when designing solutions that have an impact on social justice issues.
We congratulate Julia on being Mercy Salutatorian and wish her the best as she plans to attend Davidson College in the fall to study Data Science.
Maura McSweeney
Maura’s love for Mercy is clearly articulated in her respect and admiration of her fellow Mercy sisters. She understands that it is this unity of sisterhood that fulfills each opportunity presented, and she is a strong advocate for female centric education. Maura is described by her Mercy sisters as being incredibly versatile, embodying the Mercy core values and contributing enormously to the school. Her impact and involvement at Mercy is recognized by her Mercy sisters, as well as the Mercy staff.
Maura shared her gifts with us through being a National Honors Society Officer; Newsprint Co-Editor-in-Chief; Varsity Mock Trial Co-Captain; and Girls and Money Club Leader. She participated in various athletic teams including 4 years of field hockey; Youth Mercy Associates; Debate Club; and Spanish Honor Society. Representing Mercy in a larger leadership capacity, Maura accepted the roles as Business Professionals of America Chapter Leader; and was impressively elected Executive Vice President for the Business Professionals of America State Association. This is all while pursuing a rigorous curriculum, including 7 AP classes and graduating Magna Cum Laude.
Maura acknowledges the impact that her faith filled Mercy education has had in strengthening the female voice and using that voice to advocate for others. She hopes to ultimately focus efforts on female centric education in order to empower a stronger community of women in the workplace.
We congratulate Maura on being Mercy Salutatorian. She hopes to ultimately pursue a law degree to become a lawyer or a judge. We wish her the best as she begins her path in attending the University of Notre Dame in the fall to study Business with a focus on strategic management and finance. Congratulations, Maura!