Saint Mary's College Chicago East Alumnae Club

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Saint Mary's College Chicago East Alumnae Club Check out our website (https://www.smcchicagoeast.com/) for the latest club events, news, membership and how to join.

The Chicago East Club has over 1500 members in the Chicagoland area, and is one of the most active alumnae clubs in the country.

Our holiday happy hour finals care package event is coming soon and we need your support in gathering donations for the ...
10/12/2026

Our holiday happy hour finals care package event is coming soon and we need your support in gathering donations for the SMC Chicago students! 🎁

Click the link in our bio to donate through our Amazon Wishlist!

More information can be found on our website🩵🔔

Please join our SMC Chicago Talks speaker, Dr. Vanessa Silverio, DNP, FNP-C, MSCP, for these two upcoming menopause educ...
10/11/2026

Please join our SMC Chicago Talks speaker, Dr. Vanessa Silverio, DNP, FNP-C, MSCP, for these two upcoming menopause educational events! ♥️

More information on the links in our bio!

✨ Read along with us this month! For October, we are discussing THEY WISH THEY WERE US by Jessica Goodman. This month ou...
10/11/2026

✨ Read along with us this month! For October, we are discussing THEY WISH THEY WERE US by Jessica Goodman. This month our genre is Dark Academia, so we're heading to an elite prep school on Long Island filled with privilege, perfection, secret societies, and murder. Think Gossip Girl meets a twisty mystery with a dash of The Secret History. Perfect reading for spooky season! ✨

📖 About the book:

At Gold Coast Prep, everything looks perfect—from the manicured grounds and pressed uniforms to the beautiful, ambitious students. But Jill Newman knows better. Three years ago, her best friend Shaila was murdered, and her boyfriend confessed. The case was closed.

Now it's Jill's senior year, and she's determined to make it her best yet. As one of the Players, Gold Coast Prep's exclusive secret society, she has access to the best parties, the highest status, and everything she's worked toward.

But then Jill starts receiving messages claiming that Graham didn't kill Shaila.

If he's innocent, the real killer may still be out there—and uncovering the truth could put Jill's friendships, future, and entire world at risk. A fast-paced mystery about friendship, privilege, ambition, and the dangerous pursuit of perfection

Belles Event recap! 🩵🔔☘️SMC and ND alumnae just hosted the launching of the Chicago chapter of the Notre Dame Tech Forum...
10/06/2026

Belles Event recap! 🩵🔔☘️

SMC and ND alumnae just hosted the launching of the Chicago chapter of the Notre Dame Tech Forum yesterday evening!
The ND Tech Forum was started in Silicon Valley over 25 years ago and is now expanding to start chapters in cities across the US and Chicago is their first new chapter. Over 50 ND and SMC alumni attended the panel and networking event!

Moderator: Ashley Hovorka, SMC Class of 2019

Panelist: Victoria Zellmer PhD, CEO of Estrigenix Therapeutics, SMC Class of 2012

Check out the event description and other panelists here: https://luma.com/sn8r9s2i

What a wonderful discussion for our September book club meeting! Thank you to Rose ‘19 for hosting and to April ‘05 for ...
09/21/2026

What a wonderful discussion for our September book club meeting! Thank you to Rose ‘19 for hosting and to April ‘05 for leading such a thoughtful and engaging discussion.

This month we read the graphic novel, Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi ahead of Banned Books Week. There was a strong consensus that this was an important and meaningful read. Many of us were new to the graphic novel format and we loved how effectively it allowed the author to tell this memoir. The story tackles some incredibly heavy topics, but the illustrations and the author's childlike perspective helped show how she experienced and understood the world while growing up.

There were certainly moments when we didn't agree with her choices, but we appreciated her honesty and willingness to tell her story as it was. We shared some of our favorite panels and enjoyed the humor woven throughout the book.

With Banned Books Week coming up in October, we talked about how important it is to continue supporting and reading books, particularly at a time when so many are being challenged or banned for reasons we don't believe should prevent people from accessing them.

Rose treated us to a delicious Persian-inspired meal, including vegan hummus, kashk (an eggplant dip with yogurt), olives and feta with cucumber, olivieh (potato salad), mixed greens with balsamic vinaigrette, shrimp grilled in lemon sauce, and chicken grilled/kabob style. It was such a wonderful complement to the book and its setting!

✨ Read along with us this month! For September, we are discussing PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi. This month our genre is...
09/08/2026

✨ Read along with us this month! For September, we are discussing PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi. This month our genre is "banned book" ahead of Banned Books Week celebrated from October 4th to October 10th this year. This acclaimed graphic memoir of growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution feels extremely topical and poignant especially with the author's recent passing.

“A wholly original achievement.... Satrapi evokes herself and her schoolmates coming of age in a world of protests and disappearances.... A stark, shocking impact.” —The New York Times: "The 50 Best Memoirs of the Past 50 Years"

One of the New York Times’s 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the coming-of-age story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Persepolis paints an unforgettable portrait of daily life in Iran and of the bewildering contradictions between home life and public life. Marjane’s child’s-eye view of dethroned emperors, state-sanctioned whippings, and heroes of the revolution allows us to learn as she does the history of this fascinating country and of her own extraordinary family. Intensely personal, profoundly political, and wholly original, Persepolis is at once a story of growing up and a reminder of the human cost of war and political repression. It shows how we carry on, with laughter and tears, in the face of absurdity. And, finally, it introduces us to an irresistible little girl with whom we cannot help but fall in love.

We had a gorgeous August evening picnic for our discussion of Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein! While the book lande...
08/28/2026

We had a gorgeous August evening picnic for our discussion of Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein!

While the book landed somewhere in the middle for most of us—not a strong love or hate—it sparked a really interesting discussion. Most of the group expected something more rom-com-ish and instead got a harder-hitting story full of some pretty unlikable characters. One of our favorite questions was: Who was the true villain? The sisters? The dad? Either of the moms? We had plenty of opinions! Another question that may become a book club favorite: If you could write fan fiction about this story, what storyline or character would you explore?

A huge thank-you to Erica '06 for being such a flexible host. We pivoted to a picnic at Women's Park and Gardens in the South Loop, which was a first visit for many of us. We enjoyed salads, sandwiches, treats, lobster gummies, and two special treats straight out of Maine that Genevieve '98 brought for us from her recent trip!

We were also excited to welcome Jenny '99 and Elaina '22 to their very first book club!

It may have been a slight departure from our typical summer read, but it was an amazing evening of books and, most importantly, connection.

Join your Chicago Belles for a Founders’ Day service event to celebrate Saint Mary’s and give back to our local communit...
08/18/2026

Join your Chicago Belles for a Founders’ Day service event to celebrate Saint Mary’s and give back to our local community. This year, we will be getting together to serve families at the Saturday Pantry at Mission of Our Lady of the Angels on Saturday, October 3rd from 8am - Noon.

All interested attendees must sign up by September 10th to ensure Mission OLA has a accurate headcount, so grab a Belle and sign up today! https://www.smcchicagoeast.com/events/2026/10/3/founders-day-service-mission-ola

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The Mission of Our Lady of the Angels establishes a Catholic presence in the West Humboldt Park area on Chicago’s west side.

The sisters provide fresh produce, non perishable food, clothing, and household goods to about 250 families each month at their Saturday Pantry.

Join fellow Notre Dame and Saint Mary's moms for a relaxed, family-friendly morning at the playground! This casual meet-...
08/11/2026

Join fellow Notre Dame and Saint Mary's moms for a relaxed, family-friendly morning at the playground! This casual meet-up is a great opportunity to connect with other Domer families while the kids play and make new friends.

Come and go whenever it works best for your family—there's no need to arrive right at the start or stay for the entire event. Be sure to pack a swimsuit or a change of clothes so your little ones can cool off and enjoy the splash pad!

Kid-friendly snacks and drinks will be provided. When you arrive, just look for the Chicago Bulls flag to find our group at the playground.

We can't wait to see you and your family there! ☘️

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Chicago, IL
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