Notre Dame Academy Graduates 71st Class | Fifty-six Percent of Graduates Prepared to Pursue STEM-Related Fields

LOS ANGELES, June 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Notre Dame Academy (NDA) celebrated its 71st class of graduates on June 1, a group of 65 young women – scholars, artists, dancers, athletes, and thespians – who have realized remarkable new milestones.

While the school has long achieved 100 percent college acceptance, for the first time in NDA history, more than half of the graduating class – 56 percent – will enter college with a STEM-related major. Of the 55 seniors who declared a major, 31 plan to pursue careers in traditionally male-dominated fields such as engineering, science, medicine, and architecture. An additional 11 students, or 20 percent, plan to explore business and entrepreneurship.

"It's exciting to see so many students jumping into engineering fields," said De'Jah Carver, academic and college counseling director. "Our girls are intelligent and – just as important – are motivated to consider 'What is a way I could use engineering to help people worldwide? How can I be a blessing to my community?' We need as many people as possible working on ways to improve our world and women will lead the charge to help communities."

The trend reflects NDA's concerted effort to encourage participation in STEM classes, not only to expose students to a wider array of related career options, but also to prepare them for higher-level science courses. Those efforts are yielding quantifiable results. About 30 percent of NDA students took two science classes concurrently last year. Participation in the school's nationally ranked rocketry program grew by 147 percent, while involvement in the robotics team doubled. NDA's signature disruptive innovation curriculum – now recognized by the UC system – grew by 171 percent. This year, the College Board awarded NDA the prestigious AP Platinum with Access status, underscoring the school's dedication to providing all students with access to rigorous coursework, regardless of background or circumstance. Only six percent of all eligible schools earned this exemplary recognition.

"Our student body represents a rich tapestry of cultures, backgrounds, families, and experiences, with a quarter of our students being the first generation to attend college," said Lilliam Paetzold, president and head of school. "The Access award is a testament to our belief that every girl deserves the opportunity to pursue her dreams and reach her full potential; this begins in our classrooms."

The diversity of the college acceptance list demonstrates these efforts as well. Members of the Class of 2024 were accepted – many of them early – to nearly 125 different colleges and universities representing a wide range of UCs, Ivies, Jesuit, liberal arts, and state schools nationwide. Further, they earned more than $15.2 million in college scholarships.

"Achieving these milestones illustrates our efforts to live up to our mission statement even as the world around us changes," said Gary Ho, NDA academic and college counselor. "We're working to empower young women to consider fields that have traditionally been male dominated. Our students are well prepared academically, but our students know they don't just go to a school, they belong to a community. The girls support each other both in class and in between. Those bonds – that connectedness – enable them to build teamwork and life skills, weather challenges, and grow not just as a student, but as a person."

Notre Dame Academy is an independent Catholic school established by the Sisters of Notre Dame in 1949 to educate young women in grades six through 12. The exceptionally diverse community includes families from more than 40 zip codes throughout Los Angeles. For more information, visit ndasla.org.

SOURCE Notre Dame Academy Schools of Los Angeles