MD Alumni Then and Now
September 25, 2015
Over the course of its 65 years, an incredible amount of students have returned after graduation to work at the amazing school that is Mater Dei. From coaches and teachers, to deans and administrators, many great positions are held by Mater Dei alumni. Here are a few monarchs that have come back home to carry on the tradition.
Allison Bergeron – Class of 1996
Allison Bergeron is the current Director of Planned Giving as well as the Major Gifts Officer in Mater Dei’s Advancement Office. Bergeron served in ASB all four years at Mater Dei, was a member of Campus Ministry, president of her sophomore class, and played on the soccer team. Bergeron also established Mater Dei’s Renaissance Club.
After college, Bergeron eventually found herself working at the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, a job that required a long commute and put a restriction on the amount of time she was able to spend with her family.
“It was a quality of life decision,” she says, “It was coming home to Mater Dei, a place I was familiar with.” In addition to this, she chose Mater Dei because the administration is very supportive of people with families. This is important to her because she gets to do what she loves, while also taking care of the people she loves.
As an alumni, Bergeron believes that Mater Dei is a great experience and ” an investment you will never regret for the rest of your life.” She says the essential part of being a monarch is ” honoring tradition and continuing to set the bar high.” To her, continuing to make Mater Dei the best it can be, is what it means to be a monarch.
Jennifer Hornbuckle – Class of 2003
Jennifer Hornbuckle is the current Admissions Marketing & Alumni Coordinations Manager for Mater Dei. She also serves as the junior class moderator.
A class of 2003 graduate, Hornbuckle spent her time at Mater Dei becoming a Campus Ministry commissioner, a member of the Renaissance Club, and a soccer player.
After her father became ill, she moved back home to Orange County from San Diego. At the same time, a position opened in Campus Ministry. Hornbuckle said she felt that same feeling of “coming home to a family” because she spent so much of her time there growing at Mater Dei. Hornbuckle thinks an integral part of being a monarch is pride. She takes pride in knowing that she “worked hard to get into Mater Dei, worked hard through Mater Dei,” and she is now working hard to “give back to Mater Dei.”
Tia Meza – Class of 2000
Tia Meza is the current Director of Admissions Marketing & Media Relations for Mater Dei. After school, she serves as the Head Softball Coach. As a student, she played softball and water polo all four years and played golf for one year. It was for her high school softball career that she received the National Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2000, the year that she graduated. This was the first time an athlete from Mater Dei received the honorable reward.
When Meza first returned to Mater Dei, her intentions were to coach softball. She wanted to give back to the program which gave so much to her. Working here also allowed her to be closer to her family. Meza says that what makes this school special is ” The opportunities you get here at Mater Dei.”
The spiritual and familial aspects of Mater Dei are what make it unique to her and being a monarch includes putting your family first and being a part of a bigger family and always having a community to go to.
![Mater Dei Track runner and freshman Aidan Lynch wins the 400 meter race. The Trinity Lower Level track meet was held Friday, Apr. 21 at Santa Margarita High School. This was the last track meet of the season for the Junior Varsity and Frosh-Soph teams. Freshman Bella Alafita reflects on her season. “I enjoyed seeing the progress I have made from the beginning of this season to the end of this season and felt really great [about] getting a personal best at the end,” Alafita said. “I’m also excited to see how much I can improve next season.” 📸 and post by Boston Crenshaw, staff reporter for the Scarlet Scroll newspaper. #trackandfield #materdei](https://thescarletscroll.com/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)
![PLAYING A ROLE: Sister Charis (right) of Heart of Jesus Retreat Center applies costume makeup for Sacred Heart Kids Club Staff for a video. Staff members are expected to participate in Kids Club events, including videos, skits, games, and other activities. These activities help the kids understand the topics being discussed, such as the seven sacraments and their purposes, and set examples for the kids. “You get to work with [people] your own age, and it’s really just tons of fun,” Sister Paula said.](https://thescarletscroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/sacredheart-475x316.jpg)
![SMILE FOR THE CAMERA: The 1988-89 yearbook shows the first Scarlet Scroll staff with their advisor, Susan Diaz. As a new publication, the newspaper staff had to put extra care into making sure what they were reporting on set a positive precedent for the paper on campus. “The administration at the time was very afraid that the Scroll would immediately turn into a format where students could just take pop shots at [them],” Gene Jimenez, a member of the 1988-89 staff, said. “And when we showed them that we could actually produce [something] as semi-responsible adults, it was a big deal.”](https://thescarletscroll.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/doc00617420211117152104-copy-317x475.jpg)
