Cecilia Cortez and Teresa Franco

[00:01] CECILIA CORTEZ: Good afternoon. My name is Cecilia Cortez, and I am going to be interviewing my sister, Teresa franco, today.

[00:09] TERESA FRANCO: Hello. So, yes, like she said, my name is Teresa, or Teresa or Teresa We're both loretto academy alums. Loretto Academy is a school in El Paso, Texas. It started as an all girls academy, and now they have boys from. From pre k three through fifth grade, and then the middle and high school are all girls. I had gone to public school all of my life. I went to clardy elementary, and I was at Henderson junior High when my parents decided that catholic school was probably the answer to my problems. I didn't have any problems, really, but I was being bullied, and I. They didn't feel like I was getting a good education, good enough at Henderson, and so they transferred me to Loretto, so I entered as a 7th grader. Loretto is a culture all on its own, run by the Sisters of Loretto. They are a community of nuns from Kentucky who came west, started in Santa Fe, well, Kansas, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and then worked their way down. They are responsible for the first education period, public, private, religious in this area. They started in San Elisario and started to build schools, some in this neighborhood, actually, in south El Paso, and eventually bought some land in the middle of the city. No, in the middle of the desert, which is now in the middle of the city. And I am very, very blessed and lucky to be a part of this community as an alum, as a teacher, and now as a co member. So when I was there in the 7th grade, when I started high school, I believe you were of age to start school. And I remember mom telling daddy, you know, she needs to go to school. Are we gonna put her at Loretto, or is she gonna go to clardy like Teresa did? So he said, well, you know, we'll kill two birds with 1 st. And that way we don't have two schools, and she can go to start kinder at Loretto. So what are your earliest memories of being there?

[02:38] CECILIA CORTEZ: I think my earliest memories is, actually, I remember kindergarten, and I remember having a being in one classroom, and we would have story time, and it was misses hall was my teacher, and she was an older lady, and we would sit all around her, and she would read us books. And I just loved that part of the day. I literally remember sitting on the floor, and I'd be so mad when the boys would be playing because it would distract me, and I would get mad because I really wanted to hear the story. And it was always some different story. It wasn't every day that we did this. So when she said, it's story time, I was very excited to come down and sit on the carpet and just watch, you know, listen and watch, because she would also, of course, open the book to let us see the pictures. And I just really loved that. And I quickly developed friends, which is pretty cool because there was, like, five or six of us that went from kindergarten all the way through 12th grade together.

[03:49] TERESA FRANCO: And lifers.

[03:52] CECILIA CORTEZ: Lifers at Loretto. Yes. And we would. We still, to this day, communicate. We don't hang out, necessarily, but if we ever have the opportunity to talk to each other, it's as if we just picked back up from when we were in high school. And it's really cool to have those memories of each other throughout, from kindergarten all the way through high school. But I think the. For me, there was obviously no option. I just knew that this is where I went to school, and not having that option, I think, was probably a good thing. And so when I had children, I think it really wasn't an option either. Had to kind of convince my husband a little bit because he had gone to another catholic school in the area, and tuition was a little pricier at Loretto than it was at the other school. So he kept saying, you know, it's a good. It's a good.

[04:53] TERESA FRANCO: I'm sorry, I am diabetic, and that is my alarm to check my sugar, so let me turn off the bluetooth. So sorry. Keep going.

[05:04] CECILIA CORTEZ: So when it was time, I thought, maybe if he sees the school, maybe if he feels the school, maybe he will understand that how important it is for me to have my daughter here and celebrating this year 100 years. And thinking back, wow, I made sure that my children are part of this amazing story of women, starting from mother Praxedes saying, I'm going to build the school here. And everybody's saying, this doesn't make any sense. Who's going to come to this school?

[05:41] TERESA FRANCO: I think they called it Praxedes folly, right?

[05:45] CECILIA CORTEZ: I think so. And so this woman having the tenacity. She was a nun. She was just knowing this is what has to happen, and I'm guessing, a vision. And she did not stop till it was complete and against many, many, many obstacles. And somehow, I don't know if it's through breathing the air through the walls, but I think every girl that graduates from there ends up with a little piece of that tenacity within whatever you decide to do in life. You know, education was just so important. They just wanted to make sure that the nuns that taught us, and I think now the teachers that are there keep planting those seeds, that education is important. Coming back at some point and giving back to Loretto is important in some capacity. You know, girls that thought, I can't wait to get out of here, come back later and say, this was the best place. And I wish, you know, I had appreciated it more, and I wanted that for my daughters. And I'm, you know, I think whatever my parents saw come in a positive way for my sister. They wanted that for me, too. So it's kind of like a circle that kind of comes around in a weaving of things, that feelings that I think that parents have. You know, for some people, it's a tradition because their families, their grandmother went and now their mother, it's their legacies. Exactly. And I wanted that, too. You know, I wanted that, too. I didn't understand it when I was in high school, exactly what the legacy meant. And once I understood it, I wanted it as well.

[07:29] TERESA FRANCO: I think having seen both sides of the fence, because I did have the public school experience going to Clardy, and I. I received an excellent education at Clardy. I mean, I felt like they prepared me so well for being. It was such a. Every mom knew every mom. There was huge parental support. Everybody in the neighborhood knew each other. It was a very small, tight community, and it was great. But then going to Henderson, where they had the feeder schools, you know, they had kids from everywhere, and it was just very scary for me. So I don't. So I can see, you know, both sides of that type of education. Here we have public school. Here we have this private school. And I think one of the myths, because this is what I expected when I went there, was this elitist private girls school aura that, you know, that people perceive Loretto to have. And when you get there, it's nothing like that. What do you think has sort of transcended the ages, the generations that was there that, you know, when, you know, when you were a little kid and I was in high school all the way through now is looking at it as through, you know, like through a mom's eyes, having your daughters go through this, the experience, and then having. Being a teacher.

[09:07] CECILIA CORTEZ: I think a big part of that is. Or the foundation of that is the teachers, because the way misses hall was, the way the sisters that I had that taught me, the nuns that taught me. There was. Even though they all taught differently, there was still that consistency of how they cared, how they went, the little extra mile, how they knew your strengths and weaknesses. When I left elementary and went on to middle school. Middle school. By that time, in your time, middle school was in the elementary. When I transitioned to middle school, middle school had just gone. We no longer had borders, so they utilized the third floor for middle school.

[10:02] TERESA FRANCO: So your middle school experience was all on the third floor?

[10:04] CECILIA CORTEZ: It was all the high floor. So Sister Pat Williams was the principal. And so there was three different principals. There was. The middle school had a slightly different method of teaching, I'm sure. I don't recall the style of it.

[10:24] TERESA FRANCO: But there was a name to it, but I can't remember.

[10:26] CECILIA CORTEZ: I can't remember the name of it, but it was a very kind of a holistic. Holistic, exactly. Was I going to say a holistic style of teaching to where, if you felt like you could learn better sitting on the floor, they let you sit onto the floor. If you felt that you needed to not do a whole lot of work that day because you just weren't feeling it, it was okay with them, because the next day you could work a little faster. You would create. They would create contracts for work, and you would.

[10:54] TERESA FRANCO: And was that an asset or a detriment to your education?

[10:57] CECILIA CORTEZ: Both, I would say, because it definitely, I learned to be good at, oh, gosh, I need to hurry up and finish all this work because it's due tomorrow, because that's the date I had signed and said. But it also made me know what my commitments were. If I committed to this, I had to complete it. So good and bad, you know, it was a different style, but there were days that I would ask, would you.

[11:22] TERESA FRANCO: Want that for your kids?

[11:24] CECILIA CORTEZ: I think one would have done well with it and the other one wouldn't have. And same thing within my friends. One, when we talk about it now, one of my friends will say, oh, I hated that. It was dumb. It didn't make any sense. And myself thought it was pretty cool. It just depended on your learning style. There were some of my friends that did everything in that box. They did as much as they could in the contract. What was the minimum that I had to do? So, like I said, good and bad.

[11:56] TERESA FRANCO: Is that the stuff where, like. Cause I know that sister, I had sister pat for social studies, like, for 7th and 8th grade, and then all of a sudden we had these sets that we had to do, and we watched like, a video on the caribou and their migration through the tundra or whatever, and then we had to, like, find life skills that matched. And from there came the lessons that she wanted, and I guess we were her guinea pigs.

[12:23] CECILIA CORTEZ: It might have been, and it was.

[12:25] TERESA FRANCO: Awful for me because I need structure. I need somebody whooping my butt, telling me, do it now. You need to get it done. As you know, I need to be pushed. And this was not the style for me.

[12:38] CECILIA CORTEZ: Yeah, it probably was very similar to that. But then I had like, sister Marie Patrice, who was in science, and her classes were structured and she decided what we were going to learn. So it wasn't 100% this method, but Sam Forsyth, who, you know, I still to this day, see from time to time, he lives in the neighborhood that I live in and he had such a kind heart and just really learned what every student needed and would work with them on that level. And, you know, you don't find that often, you know, Ann Blanco, you know, she was just a wonderful woman that I wanted to be a gymnast. And she decided, you know, well, didn't decide, she didn't, but I had to take her class, which was dance. And it turned my world around.

[13:28] TERESA FRANCO: Just for clarification, you're a PE dance teacher with a fine arts. Bachelor of Fine Arts. I'm an english teacher with a bachelor's in american and english lit and a master's in secondary ed. So that's our background in teaching and our educational background and our teaching. So I teach English. I'm certified to teach religion as well. And every now and then they throw a speech class at me. And I can teach French, which I hate to teach, but. Sorry to interrupt you, but I just thought that needed a little bit of clarification.

[14:10] CECILIA CORTEZ: So, yeah, it's definitely, I think the teachers that were there in the upstairs, Sister Rosa Anthony taught theology, and once again, hers was structured. And really, now that I look back, I think she was really trying to emphasize how important it was for us to be kind to one another. And, you know, she would have days that we would do like a meditation. And the little talk that she would go through us always made me feel so much better, you know? And like I said, they just seemed so in tune to helping us grow as a whole, not just academically. Like I said, for some of my friends, they liked it. Others thought this was a waste of our time. We needed, you know, they wanted more of the structure and more of the. The difficulties, you know, eventually they changed, you know, and now we're definitely more in traditional traditional. And I think it's a good move, you know, and then I do see where they do little things, you know, since I'm up on the third floor. I think the principal now really sees the need for some of those days where it's not as structured and it is more of a hands on learning. And I think that's good, because that look and understanding of her students, it hits everybody on that day giving awards. I think a lot of that has gone by the wayside, and now she'll have a day of awards. And I think that's good for the middle school age. They need that to say, hey, you've done really, really well. And I think it does help encourage some of the others that maybe are on that border of doing well, not doing well. And I think that's a good thing. That's still consistent. High school being taught by 60%, I think in my day was about 60% more nuns, and the other 40% were lay people. And I think that was a good balance of. You probably had more.

[16:30] TERESA FRANCO: I did. I had, I think, Mulvey Hill, and then there were a couple of english teachers here and there who were lay people. But for the most part, it was sister this, sister that, sister whoever from the principal all the way to, you know. And it was. It was, first of all, being part of the community, of the Loretto community. As a co member, I can tell you that they're very. I don't want to say that they gossip, but they gossip. And so one teacher would come and say, I just heard that you got 100, or, I heard that you're doing great in math. You know, I remember getting that from. Well, misses Kellerman stopped me in the hallway and said, I just talked to Sister Mary Lee, and she said, you're doing amazing in math. And I, you know, I thought, well, you know, that's good. But I wanted to be the one that, because I was actually looking for her at the time to tell her that I was doing well. She had taught me geometry, and so. But in retrospect, I think that they would get together and talk about the kids the way you. The way we get together to talk about the kids in a constructive manner. And because they cared and they were very in tune with who we were. And what I loved about them is they were so. And they're still like that. They were so on the crest of what was coming up. They saw the future coming and. And would adapt beforehand.

[18:06] CECILIA CORTEZ: Right.

[18:08] TERESA FRANCO: You know, and it was at a time when you, you know, people were debating the era. People were, you know, the feminist movement was, we had just gotten over the Vietnam war. Watergate was, when I was a freshman is when Nixon resigned it was. And the nuns had just stopped. You know, Vatican II had. Vatican II had just kicked in, and they just ate it with a fork and a spoon, considering that there were only two women at Vatican II, and both of them were Loretto nuns, and the fact that they just kind of said, okay, no more habits, no more this. And the rumor I heard was the bishop at the time, the diocese, because they were not part of the diocese. They were their own independent school district. And the bishop at the time, I believe they were trying to get them to wear habits, or they were trying to get them to do something, and the nuns were like, no, I don't think that's going to happen. So much so. And I don't know why, but for the first time ever, the bishop was not invited to our graduation, which was a big, huge plus for us, because that meant less graduation ceremony, more party, which what we were really, really interested in. But I just. I just remember that we had a lot of downtime. I mean, I remember being very, very pressured to do the work, get the work done, you know? And we had downtime to a point where I was able to, in class, really connect with my friends. But I remember that the discipline was through the roof, because since it was sisters, you know, religious women, parents, I think, were a lot more intimidated. And so this idea of a parent running the school rather than the school running the school was the norm. And so I just remember mom and dad were like, you know, they'll kick you out and they'll refund our money, so we need you to behave. You can.

[20:20] CECILIA CORTEZ: Well, they won't refund your money.

[20:22] TERESA FRANCO: Well, now they don't. But at the time, they told mom and dad, we don't mind giving your money back.

[20:26] CECILIA CORTEZ: Oh, okay.

[20:27] TERESA FRANCO: And so remember, they didn't have lay teachers, so they didn't have to pay teachers that much. But it was more of a, you know, if your daughter. We're not a reform school. If your daughter's a disciplinary problem, we will refund your money and kick her out. And there was just no putting up with any of that baloney. It was, you know.

[20:44] CECILIA CORTEZ: Right.

[20:45] TERESA FRANCO: And I think that's one of the major differences in the school, is that, is that. That there's that, you know, I pay tuition, therefore you should listen to me, you know, and so you've got 300 kids, 300 sets of parents wanting a certain way for their daughter. And I think that's the most negative thing that I have to say about the whole experience. But. And even that, I wouldn't trade it for the world.

[21:11] CECILIA CORTEZ: Right. You know, I think the. Definitely. I mean, we don't have any sister of Loretto teaching.

[21:21] TERESA FRANCO: Nope.

[21:23] CECILIA CORTEZ: We don't even have administration.

[21:26] TERESA FRANCO: Administration anymore, unless you count Sister Liz as admin.

[21:32] CECILIA CORTEZ: So she is the only person that I know of that's, you know, in the building every so often. But I do think, if you probably should say, kind of explain a little bit about the co membership, because it's very smart asking questions. What the sisters of Loretto came up with when talking, when you say that about thinking forward, you know, they already knew we're not getting novices coming in wanting to be nuns.

[22:01] TERESA FRANCO: Right.

[22:01] CECILIA CORTEZ: We. They did a few years back, and those sisters are in Pakistan doing amazing stuff there. And I think they've had one or two more come into the. Into become a full fledged sister for Loretto. So knowing that they weren't going to continue on this way, they came up with, I think, a fabulous idea about co membership. So tell me about it.

[22:27] TERESA FRANCO: So a co member is a non vowed member of the Loretto community, which I like to. I tell the girls it means that I'm a member of the community, but if I want to marry George Clooney, once he comes to his senses, I can do that. And so I am a member. There are certain things that I cannot do. I cannot. There are certain things that I cannot vote on. But I go to assemblies. I go to our community meetings, and at the community meetings, we discuss, for example, what's going to be done with the mother house when the last nun dies out. Will the co membership continue? We talk about things like, they have divested their various endowment funds, retirement funds. They have divested of anything that uses fossil fuel, any company that is in the fossil fuel industry, for example. We definitely talk about environmental issues, social justice issues. It's religious in a way that following the teachings of Jesus Christ. You follow the teachings of Jesus Christ in a way that is, you know, you love your neighbor and your labor loves you, and that encompasses everything from being kind to your neighbor to being kind to the earth, because somebody else is going to have to use it after you do.

[23:56] CECILIA CORTEZ: Right. It's all about community.

[23:58] TERESA FRANCO: Exactly. And the fellowship and the community. I mean, for example, just. I get so excited when. When I get that call from Sister Mary Margaret saying, we're getting together at Trowbridge, and we're gonna, you know, like what we did for epiphany, and we. We got together to have the Rosca and, you know, and hot chocolate and talk, and it was great. And, you know, there were a few, like, sister Liz's best friend was there, and, you know, they. There was a little girl from Nerinx who they're. I need to talk to you about that, by the way, about service learning. Their service learning. They have to find it, and then they have to go someplace out of town to continue their service learning. So she was here in El Paso. I think she was folding clothes for the migrants and just doing. I think I want. I need to find out. But anyway, she was here serving the community from St. Louis, and she was in a program that's kind of like our challenge program. And so she was staying at the house and came out and met all of us. Little. Most beautiful girl I've ever seen in my life, a little 17 year old girl from St. Louis, and just awesome. And she spoke Spanish because somebody said something about pan dulce and she goes, oh, so it's sweet bread.

[25:15] CECILIA CORTEZ: And we went, so what is the process, though, for someone to become that co member?

[25:25] TERESA FRANCO: I approached Sister Buffy, who was our president at the time, and I said, I'm interested in co membership. And I remember that she said, this is something you and I need to talk about over a beer. And I said, okay, well, one of these days, let's have a beer. We'll talk about co membership. Cause I'm really kind of interested, and I think that. So what it is is you start, they give you a mentor. Mine was Jane German, another co member. They give you a mentor, and then you go through I am the way, which is the constitution of the Sisters of Loretto, and it's quotes taken from scripture and then a study of that quote that applies the values of the sisters to life, to different various lives. So it ended up being just these great conversations. Pat Delgado, who is still in the process and will become a co member very soon, but she's so busy. She went through the process with me, and we were kind of at the same level, and so. And her mentor was sister Mary Margaret. So we would get together at Jane German's house and read I am the way. They'd give us assignments, you know, give us homework to do, which I never did. And then we'd get together and discuss, you know, the readings for that week. We'd pray, and then we would. It was right smack in the middle of the 2016 election. So you can just imagine the conversations that we were having, you know, just incredible, incredible stuff. And we'd kind of fix the world together and then just leave so inspired and so kind of this feeling of peace. And even though I felt like I wasn't doing anything, but through that, I'm able to really connect with the kids. When I was teaching catholic social teaching, I was able to connect with the kids and talk about it. And so much so that right before the pandemic, we had a vigil against the death penalty that Pat Delgado put together. And I was able to take my religion students, you know, and we prayed, and they lit the star that night for all the victims of the death penalty. And we got. We listened to speakers and lit candles and. And, you know, the girls were just so moved by it and didn't. Hadn't realized what, that there's another side to the death penalty other than, you know, revenge, which really, in my opinion, is what it is. And then every. So then we have events. You know, they have assembly. Of course, in the last few years, it's been virtual. We've done it through Zoom. I still have yet to go to assembly, which is usually in a place like St. Louis where they congregate and they discuss and they have meetings and breakout sessions. And then we had. And then you visit the mother house as a co member in process, which to me is, you know, a lot of, one of the biggest reasons that I wanted to be a co member was just to have that connection to Kentucky, because it's so beautiful.

[28:32] CECILIA CORTEZ: Yeah. Kentucky is. The mother house is just an amazing place.

[28:35] TERESA FRANCO: It is.

[28:36] CECILIA CORTEZ: No. I remember approaching Sister Buffy probably in 2028 and said, I'd like to be a co member. And she says, your girls are too young. We'll talk about it later. And, you know, I don't think I've slowed down much more since even that point. If anything, I'm probably doing more now, I think. So it's, I think becoming that co member, really, the point of that, I'm sure, was to continue on their legacy and their traditions and their ideas and.

[29:13] TERESA FRANCO: Their service to the community because they're so about service, which is why I think you are a fantastic candidate, because you just tackle things that I would never even dream of doing. And what you did when you went to the camp with the afghan refugees was such a Loretto thing, you know, and that idea of giving to the community, which is, you know, something that you do naturally, I have to, like I said, I have to be pushed. I have to have somebody come and say, this is what I need you to do. You have to be here at this time and this. And then I weigh it, and then I say, it's not really fitting my agenda today, but you just take it on, and so. And I. You know, your reputation at Loretto is. I can't tell you how many times a day I hear, I'll just ask Ceci, and I'll be like, you know, she's in the middle of production, right? Because my sister is also the drama director, theater director. So she has that under, you know, on her plate as well. So I do think, if anything, the community would give you time to kind of chill.

[30:33] CECILIA CORTEZ: I mean, and I think it's something, actually, when I'm done teaching, that I will do so that I continue the connection to Loretto. I can't imagine Loretto not somehow being in my life, but I think to do co membership, well, I would want to no longer be teaching so that I can. Can have that.

[30:54] TERESA FRANCO: Yeah. Because there are times when I'm like, I can't do it, you know? Although there are some things that I absolutely wanted to do, like Santa Fe. When we went to Santa Fe for the anniversary there, that was. That was incredible.

[31:08] CECILIA CORTEZ: So I believe Loretta was definitely just in our blood. You know, we have grown up there and continued on our lives there. I think I have been at Loretto more than I have been anywhere else. You know, so it's. It is something that is extremely special, and it's hard to explain to somebody as to, you know, it just makes sense to me. I can't imagine anything else anywhere else. I love, admire, and respect. You know, all of the nuns that have. Have been there was very lucky to be part of different nuns, you know, for different reasons. And my children got to experience that a little bit when Nazareth had the. The chapel open on the weekends.

[32:13] TERESA FRANCO: Yes.

[32:14] CECILIA CORTEZ: You know, and we would go to have. We would have mass. We would go to mass.

[32:17] TERESA FRANCO: Nazareth.

[32:18] CECILIA CORTEZ: Nazareth.

[32:19] TERESA FRANCO: A place where they. It used to be a retirement home for retired sisters.

[32:24] CECILIA CORTEZ: Right. And then it was opened up to the public, so there was just, you know, anyone could go. And so when the girls were little, we would go to mass there, partially because it was much shorter, and when my youngest had, her attention span was a little less, but she was very intrigued by being there. And they would always ask, when can we take the sisters, the patients, back to the rooms? Because they would come and wheel all these patients into the room, into the chapel, and it was a tiny chapel. And then when mass was over, people would start to take them back. But my kids were so young that I said, you know, not yet. Not yet. So finally, when they were a little bit older, I said, okay, I think we can do this now. And they loved it. Absolutely loved taking the people back to their rooms, and that was just such a beautiful sense of community also. And like I said, I mean, every. If, you know, if I just go, you know, different points of my. Of my life there at Loretto, it all comes back to that, you know.

[33:32] TERESA FRANCO: Every now and then, if it's a certain time of day, like when we have parent teacher conferences and we're in the gym and I leave, and I, you know, at that time of year, our sunsets are incredible, and it's beautiful weather, and I look, and I get emotional because it is such a beautiful place. And on the day to day, you know, I park in the back. I walk in. I'm, you know, down the first floor, which is not really the most beautiful part of the school, but it's my home. I'm in my classroom. My view is of the parking lot in the back, but when I'm in the front and I look up, and it's just breathtaking. So just starting with the physical beauty of the school, you know, and then when you think of the people that have attended there who have made a difference in the world, the people affiliated with the school. I mean, for those of you who don't know, Stevie Nix went to. Went to grade school there. Our gym is Hilton young hall because Conrad Hilton, as in Hilton hotels in Paris, Hilton helped build the gym. You know, Veronica Escobar went there for a little while. She's our congresswoman. You know, so many judges here in the southwest who are Loretto graduates. In fact, Judge Bernal was Veronica Escobar's guest last night at the State of the union. So it's just. It's just this incredible community of women who empower women who, in turn, will empower more women. And, you know, it's not a fancy, elite school for little rich girls. It is a fan. Not that we don't have little rich girls, but it's a place that opens its arms. The fact that mother Praxedes wanted it to be built with open arms, you know, looking like open arms in the middle of the desert and now in the middle of the city.

[35:33] CECILIA CORTEZ: So it was towards, at that time, towards El Paso and towards Juarez.

[35:37] TERESA FRANCO: It was a combination to bring in the little girls from those communities. It's a miracle of a place. And, you know, when you hear let Loretto be Loretto forever, you kind of, you know, just hope and pray that that really does last, because it is such an incredible gift to. To the city and inoue not to be true, too dramatic, but to the world.

[36:06] CECILIA CORTEZ: Yeah, because, I mean, we have girls from all over the place. One of the girls that I graduated with has worked with in Nepal, you know, working for the government and in working, trying to engage the idea of empowering women there. And, I mean, she's done some incredible stuff, and she's just a drop in the bucket of so many other people.

[36:33] TERESA FRANCO: One of our recent graduates, just on her instagram had pictures. She's volunteering in Africa, and there's pictures of her dancing with the Maasai some maasai dancers in the middle of Africa. I said, what the heck are you doing in Africa? And she said, oh, I came to volunteer for a week, you know, which, I mean, that's just so cool.

[36:57] CECILIA CORTEZ: I mean, we even have students who are not Catholic, but, you know, are very strong in their christian faith, you know, who are trying to convert people from another religion into. Into Christianity. And, you know, that's. They're living, right. A community life and understanding the importance.

[37:19] TERESA FRANCO: And that brings me to a point that while we are a catholic entity, the fact that I went to school with jewish kids, I went to school with, I've taught muslim kids. I've taught a mormon child. Once one of the students brought it up in religion, something about the mormon church, and she said, well, you know, I'm a Mormon, I can tell you. And I thought that's so, so great because we don't, you know, yes, we have catholic teaching, but part of catholic teaching is to love everybody. And so that the idea that they.

[37:55] CECILIA CORTEZ: Acceptance and tolerance.

[37:56] TERESA FRANCO: Exactly. Tolerance. So I do love that about Loretto. And, you know, 100 years I was in, I believe I was a freshman when we had our 50th year, which kind of gives you my age, but it was incredible. And the 50 year celebration was really, really cool. And so to still be a part of the academy for its hundredth year is quite a gift. I just think it's, you know, it's great. It's really fantastic. So I'm really looking forward to all of the activities, starting with the sound of music and which is the production that my sister is going to be.

[38:40] CECILIA CORTEZ: Which is kind of like the kickoff directing.

[38:41] TERESA FRANCO: Yeah, it's kicking off.

[38:42] CECILIA CORTEZ: Kicking off the 100 year celebration.

[38:44] TERESA FRANCO: Celebration.

[38:45] CECILIA CORTEZ: And, I mean, I think you could even students that maybe left for different reasons, I think everyone would be able to give a good moment that they experienced at Loretto and something that they were grateful. And I am forever grateful for my parents sacrificing because it definitely was a sacrifice, and I am forever grateful that they did that for us. And I myself did some sacrificing to send my daughters there, as well as you did for your nieces. And it's something that I would do all over again.

[39:27] TERESA FRANCO: Me, too. And if I had I had I had kids, I just would have been very poor, because I would have given everything to be able to send them to. You know, if I'd had boys, I would have sent them through the fifth grade and on and on. And then we have cousins that went there, as well, so we're Loretto people.

[39:48] CECILIA CORTEZ: Okay.

[39:49] TERESA FRANCO: So this has been awesome.

[39:51] CECILIA CORTEZ: It has been awesome. And I grateful to storycorps for offering this opportunity to tell our tales, and I hope that someone will enjoy everything we had to say today.

[40:02] TERESA FRANCO: Send your girls to Loretto.

[40:05] CECILIA CORTEZ: Thank you.

[40:06] TERESA FRANCO: Thank you.