ALUMNA(E) OF THE YEAR

2008 Distinguished Alumnae of the Year

Jackie Carey Wilson, ’82

Jackie Carey Wilson, ’82, is the youngest of eight children, six of whom are girls and three attended Saint Joseph High School. Jackie’s sister, Becky Carey Kieran, graduated from Saint Joseph High School in 1977 and her sister, Cyndi Carey Fixa, graduated in 1980.

An attorney who has practiced both criminal and civil law, and now specializes in appellate work, Jackie was previously a research attorney at the Court of Appeal in Riverside and is currently employed as a Deputy County Counsel for the County of San Bernardino. After graduating from California State University, Fullerton with a Political Science degree, Jackie was a field representative for Congressman George Brown in Colton. She then attended Southwestern University School of Law and was admitted to the California bar in 1995, the Washington D.C. bar in 1996, the Colorado bar in 1997, and the Bar of the United States Supreme Court in 2005.

An active member of the Riverside County Bar Association (RCBA) since 1996, Jackie joined the Publications Committee of the RCBA as a writer and photographer for the Riverside Lawyer and is currently its editor.

In October 2005, Jackie was appointed to the State Bar of California’s Public Law Section Executive Committee. Jackie assists the Public Law Section in educating attorneys who represent cities, counties, school boards, and special districts. In November of that year Jackie became a member of the board of directors of the Inland Empire Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. Jackie assists in coordinating events for the FBA and has written for the Federal Lawyer.

Jackie has served as chair of the Red Mass Steering Committee of the Inland Empire Communities. The Red Mass is a Solemn Votive Mass of the Holy Spirit. The Red Mass is for members of the legal community and their families to invoke God’s blessing and guidance in the administration of justice.

In January 2001, Jackie became a member of the board of directors of the Volunteer Center of Riverside County, and she is now president of its board. The Volunteer Center is a $1.3 million nonprofit agency that provides services to seniors, youth, people in crisis, court-referred clients, and welfare-to-work clients. In August 2005, Jackie was awarded the Great Neighbor Award by the United Way of the Inland Valleys for her work with the Volunteer Center.

Jackie is very supportive of her high school Alma Mater and is a member of the SJHS Institutional Advancement Board and has returned to the school on career day to discuss the legal profession.

Jackie and her husband, Douglas Wilson, have lived in Riverside for 17 years. They have three daughters, Katie, Julia, and Grace, who attend Our Lady of Perpetual Help School in Riverside. Jackie and Doug are members of the Saint Andrew’s Newman Center in Riverside, where they are Eucharist Ministers and teach a baptismal class.

“I really believe that SJHS has been the foundation in my life,” says Jackie. “I am very active in my church, my community and the bar. All that I learned about giving back I learned during my time at Saint Joseph’s.”

I was just thinking today, that this June will be 20 years since my serious car accident, which put me in a coma for two weeks. Upon awaking, I could not walk and my speech, and short term memory were seriously impaired. God has been very generous to me and I am just so thankful that He gave me a little more time on this earth.

A hallmark in Saint Joseph’s history has been the generous commitment and outstanding accomplishments of its alumnae. Since 1996, the administration has selected an alumna or alumnae for their professional achievements, contributions to society and support of their alma mater.

Previous Distinguished Alumnae Honorees

           

2007 Honoree Barbara Lopes Mahakian, Class of 1968

                                                            
2006 Honorees
Lisa Norcia Lindgren, Class of 1982
Doctors Elisa and Manuel Breton, Parents of the Year

2005 Honorees
Karen Schiada Barnes, Class of 1969
Mary Jensen Koppes, Class of 1977
Alison Cook, Class of 1984
Marisa Prado, Class of 1996

2004 Honorees
Paula Eggert Faust, Class of 1980
Susan J. Paul, Class of 1980

2003 Honoree
Lisa Fernandez, Class of 1989

2002 Honoree
Teresa Montoya Aimerito, Class of 1969

2001 Honoree
Patrice Kolano Kirby, Class of 1972

2000 Honoree
Patricia Fuller, Class of 1973
Lesley Risko Trejo, Class of 1980

1999 Honoree
Dr. Terri Mendoza, Class of 1973

1998 Honoree
Helen Spagnoletti Thies, Class of 1974

1997 Honoree
Dr. Tara Zandvliet, Class of 1986

1996 Honoree
Leslie Sykes, Class of 1983

2008 Distinguished Jester Parents of the Year
Bernadette and John Ourique

Not too many people remember the time when Artesia, Lakewood, Norwalk and other towns in the area were mainly dairy farms.  John Ourique met Bernadette Vicencia when they were 17 years old and juniors in high school.  John worked on a dairy farm in the area. They both remember the 50’s and 60’s very well.  Bernadette says, “John picked me up while riding his horse.” Artesia was country then and Dutch and Portuguese dairy families worked hard.  Bernie was a member the Portuguese drill team.

Bernadette and John’s families were members of Holy Family Parish, just as they have raised their four daughters in the parish.  John had gone to Pius V School in Buena Park and started at Mater Dei High School, later going to Artesia High School.  Bernadette attended the Holy Family Parish school—Our Lady of Fatima—in Artesia before going on to St. Anthony High School in Long Beach.
Bernadette and John still live in Holy Family Parish—where Bernadette was baptized, went to school, and she and John were married in the parish, and the same can be said of their four daughters, who all attended Saint Joseph High School. Holy Family Parish, Artesia—“It’s just a part of us. I don’t see us going anywhere different,” says Bernadette. “My parents helped to build the new church.”

Commitment and devotion are important words in the Ourique working vocabulary. And Bernadette and John have been devoted to their parish and Saint Joseph High School.  “Holy Family was the start of our involvement,” says John. “It just came naturally to get involved,” adds Bernie.
In late 1980’s Bernadette and John rekindled the parish festival and chaired the event for the next 12 years. “We knew what made it work,” says John, remembering the festivals he experienced in the 1950’s and 1960’s. Bernie was parent group president at Our Lady of Fatima while the girls were in school. When Michele their oldest daughter was in 8th grade said she wanted to attend SJHS, Bernie and John worked at the carnival.

Over the next 11 years Bernie and John’s four daughters attended SJHS. John worked a job in sales that allowed him to be involved in their daughters’ education and Bernie was a homemaker and hairdresser. “I don’t think we would have changed anything. We wanted our girls to have a Catholic education,” says John. “We had one, and faith has always been important to us,” adds Bernadette.

“We did the first SJHS Grandparents’ Day” says John, “And rekindled the booster club with Debbie Haley.” John also chaired the PFO for seven years and both chaired the festival and first golf tournament. “We had so much fun doing it all. Many of our friends from SJHS are still in contact with us,” says Bernie.   

Bernie and John’s daughters who attended SJHS are: Michele, ’90, who with husband Brian Godges has three boys—Jacob, 9, Austin, 7, Nathan, 6. Jennifer, ’91, and her husband Thomas Ballogg, have two children, Gabrielle, 7, and Nicholas, 6.  Stephanie, ’92, and husband Eric Blakely have Paige, 2. Kimberley, ’96, is unmarried.

After 11 years of daughters attending SJHS Bernie and John knew that their last year had to be memorable.  So on the day that the last tuition payment was due, they made a huge check about 4’x3’ made it out to Saint Joseph High School and presented it with strawberries and apple cider to Dr. Mendoza. “Saint Joseph’s was good to us,” says Bernie. “And St. Joseph’s was good for us,” says John. Bernie said of her father, “My dad [Manuel Vicencia] absolutely loved this school. His highlight was the girls going to this school.”

Previous Distinguished Jester Parents of the Year

2007 Honorees
Patricia and James Powers

2007 Family of the Year The Powers Family

2006 Honorees
Drs. Elisa and Manuel Breton