National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica

Dear fellow Shrine High School Alumni,

It is with both continued sadness and a sense of privilege that I reach out to you in honor of my friend, Sarah Lewis, Class of 1998.

I write to ask for your help to ensure that Sarah’s legacy reaches future generations of Shrine High School students.

Sarah was an incredible person. Her smile lit up every room she was in—even Mrs. Callanan’s 7:30am Honors Calculus class! Her laugh could be heard throughout the hallways, as she found joy in everything and loved to share that joy with all who were fortunate enough to be in her orbit.

After graduating from Shrine and the University of Michigan, Sarah went on to get her Masters of Public Health at Harvard University and then spent five years living in Mexico studying health disparities, following what would become her life’s passion.

At the University of California Berkeley, Sarah earned her PhD, awarded posthumously. Prior to her passing, Sarah was studying health care disparities and maternal health and working at the Michigan Department of Community Health. Helping the least among us and trying to make the world a more just place for everyone, Sarah built upon the tenets of social justice she learned at Shrine.

Sarah passed away just shy of her 40th birthday. Her loss has been immense to her family, her friends, and her colleagues, and although more than a year has passed, it hasn’t gotten any easier.

In conjunction with Sarah’s family and the Class of 1998, we have created a scholarship fund to honor her and to ensure that future Shrine High School students not only learn about Sarah and her accomplishments, but that they, too, have the ability to study the sciences and make a difference in the world, just like Sarah.

I humbly ask for any donation you can make in order to help endow Sarah’s scholarship fund. It is your generosity of spirit that can take tremendous loss and create opportunity for future Shrine scholars in Sarah’s name.

With immense appreciation,

Melissa Wagoner Olesen

Shrine High School Class of 1998