LOMBARD – Montini Catholic in Lombard recently welcomed Katie Hubeny as the new alumni relations director.
Her days will be filled with coordinating traditional Bronco events as well as conceptualizing new ways to engage Montini alumni, a news release stated.
“My family has been at Montini Catholic since 1988 when my sister-in-law Barbara (Hubeny) Allen came as a freshman, my sister Jennifer (Doll) Gedraitis arrived next, and from then on there was a steady stream of Dolls and Hubenys at Montini until 2001,” Katie Hubeny, said in the release. “I’ve had four cousins attend Montini, as well. When my husband Jim and I got married in 2001, it was like a Montini reunion. My oldest son picked up the torch when he arrived in 2017 as a freshman, followed by my sons Ryan and Sean. My daughter Mary Grace will arrive in three years and will be a member of the class of 2028.”
Hubeny has remained involved with the Montini community since her graduation by serving as an assistant Broncette coach throughout her college years and attending numerous games, alumni events and graduations over the years.
“I am also a founding and active member of the Alumni Advisory Board,” she said. “When (President) Jim Segredo approached me this summer with the job opportunity of becoming the alumni relations director, it naturally seemed like the next step.
“For my four years here as a student, Montini was my home away from home,” she said. “When my children started attending school at Montini in 2017, I found myself again here quite a bit for activities, meetings, events. There is a magnetic energy when you are within the Montini community. People are passionate about what they do here, and it catches on like wildfire.”
She is excited to be back on a regular basis, and hopes to spark joy in her fellow alumni by promoting alumni activities such as reunions, homecoming and family events on campus.
“I also would like to create new possibilities for alumni involvement, in particular, community service opportunities for alumni, open gyms for former Montini athletes and a thriving network community,” Hubeny said. “My first goal is to encourage all of my fellow alumni to update their [contact] information … so they don’t miss out.”
Currently, she is working on organizing and assisting the planning of numerous Bronco reunions, and, most recently, organized a successful Homecoming event on Sept. 24 and Alumni Drive-In Movie Night on Oct. 2. She is planning a special Alumni Memorial Mass in November, and a Family Winterfest in January.
She cherishes many Montini memories during her years as a student, among them her time as a Broncette and her participation in the spring musicals.
She credits her Lasallian education from Montini for helping her to become a well-rounded individual, noting “This is something that I carry with me, and try to instill in my own children. The importance of faith, family, academics, service, participation and kindness were reinforced on a daily basis while I was a student at Montini, and it truly shaped my character.”
“We are so lucky to have Katie on board as alumni relations director,” President Jim Segredo said in the release. “She brings great enthusiasm to this position, and we are so excited about our future, and with bringing more and more Bronco alumni back into the fold under her leadership.”