CND Alumna Shares Her Story
It was 1983, and Velma Sampson and her mom were touring the College of Notre Dame of Maryland. Velma was anxious.
"I was not ready to leave home and stay on a campus of women from all walks of life. In fact, I was called a hermit at home. But when I stepped into a French class taught by Sister Theresa Lamy, my world changed."
Velma's world had been underprivileged. She lived with her family, including eight children, in a homeless shelter during her last year of high school. With no money for anything, college seemed like a crazy idea. Yet her mother knew education would be the only way forward for her daughter.
Watching Sister Theresa's class, a new world became visible.
"My Mom and I received the campus tour and dined on scrumptious food. We even found ourselves lured to the campus heartthrob at the time, a Professor Vicchio. But the highlight of the visit was the sampling of Sister Theresa's French class, where English was verboten.
"She flitted like a sprite across the classroom and engaged everyone in non-English discussion – all in advanced French. I had taken three years of French, if you include one in elementary school. Yet, I was arrested by the pulse of the class. Sister Theresa was effervescent."
As soon as they got back outside, Velma's mother told her daughter she was going to attend CND.
"This decision was huge. But the energy exuded from Sister Theresa was contagious for us both. I did everything I could to go. I earned scholarships and worked several jobs, including babysitting and working at the Pied Piper Childrenswear, a boutique near campus. I also had a student loan."
Velma enrolled in Sister Theresa's advanced French class, where she was inspired to learn more than the language.
"I began challenging myself to learn more in general. To read more. I majored in Liberal Arts and took Sister Theresa's Spanish class. I loved every minute."
Velma left her hermit days behind, making lifelong friends and gaining experiences that would serve her throughout her life. One such experience made all the difference in her career.
"I was working as an administrative assistant in the Department of International Health for Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. This was long before the days of Google Translate. One of our doctors was traveling to Peru and needed funds wired to the site where he worked. No one there spoke English well. Thanks to Sister Theresa, I could read Spanish pretty well. I wired the funds and successfully documented the transfer."
Administrators took notice. Velma was promoted to the financial side and up the leadership ladder. Today, Velma Sampson Pack, CND, '87, serves as a senior grants and contracts analyst for Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
"I can honestly say that Sister Theresa was a driving force in my decision to attend CND and in my college career. I don't know where I would be without her influence. She is such a treasure. Truly remarkable. I am so thankful."
