Four years after Stephanie Arend ’85 graduated from high school, the aspiring interior designer applied for the store manager job at the furniture store where she worked. The owners gave the job to a man with no experience in design or furniture. When Arend asked why, the owners told her it was because he had a college degree. That moment motivated Arend to pursue her degree.
“My parents were the reason I went to Alverno,” Arend says of mother Evelyn, who worked in the assessment office, and father Clem, who was a volunteer assessor. They completely believed in the Alverno education. Alverno is not just about grades; it’s bigger than that.”
Arend enrolled in Alverno’s Weekend College as a business management and professional communications major, which allowed her to work during the week. After graduating, she attended law school, became a partner in a law firm and ultimately served as a superior court judge in Pierce County, Wash., for 22 years. She retired last September.
“My experience at Alverno was transformative,” Arend says. “The small group work and the processes Alverno uses for assessments really help a person understand how interdependent we all are, and also that sometimes the people that are going to have the biggest impact on you aren’t necessarily the people you think.”
Tim Riordan, professor emeritus of philosophy, was one of the people who had an unexpected impact on Arend by suggesting that she attend law school.
“Going to law school would never have occurred to me in a million years. I thought I wasn’t smart enough to go to law school, but I took a leap of faith that he knew what he was talking about,” Arend explains. “It’s what Sister Jo Ann Miller ’60 has talked about….Others see strengths in you that you don’t see in yourself.”
As a judge, Arend served in a general jurisdiction trial court, hearing criminal felony, personal injury, family law and other cases. She knew the decisions she and jurors made would deeply impact those involved, possibly even changing the trajectory of their lives.
Arend says Alverno’s 8 Abilities ― including problem-solving, communication and social interaction ― are all integral to the role of a judge. “I had some cases where I really stuck my neck out because the law was silent, and I believed there was a right result,” she said. “I think that takes a bit of courage and confidence in one’s abilities. I believe that was developed at Alverno.”
And it was Alverno that first connected Arend to a Wingspread conference on adoption — an event that would change her life. “At this conference, the idea of adopting hard-to-place children had been planted in my heart,” Arend says. “I never forgot the words of the conference participants and the efforts they took to find permanent families for special needs children.”
Years later, Arend began pursuing adoption. She found that not all social workers were open to considering an unmarried woman like herself as an adoptive parent. But the same year she became a judge, Arend adopted two boys, ages 6 and 11, who had been in foster care.
“Today [my sons] are both successful, contributing members of society, and I have four grandchildren,” Arend says. “I could not be more proud of what they have overcome and what they have achieved. I don’t think it’s an overstatement to say that we all benefited from that conference.”
To Arend, being Alverno Strong means going on a journey of self-discovery. “Alverno provides an opportunity and safe environment to explore what your strength is, who you are as a human being and who you want to be,” she says.
Alverno Strong
Arend, who received the 2003 Outstanding Alumna Award, is a member of Alverno’s Vanguard Society and has served on the Alumnae Board.
What’s next?
In retirement, Arend plans to continue her work for Habitat for Humanity and for the Court History Project, as well as to reconnect with friends across the country, create quilts to gift to Habitat for Humanity families and more.
This article appears in the summer 2022 issue of Alverno Magazine.
Giving back to Alverno
In 2010, Stephanie Arend '85, along with her father and siblings, decided to honor her mother by establishing the Evelyn D. Arend Endowed Scholarship for Alverno students.
In Alverno’s assessment office, Evelyn Arend made a difference every day. “When students came in, she helped encourage and support them,” Arend says. “She was very good at that. If she could have, she would have enjoyed being a student at Alverno.”
But when Evelyn had graduated from 8th grade, teachers told her she wasn’t smart enough to pursue further education. She started working but always valued education. It was one of Evelyn’s final wishes to establish a scholarship to support women to pursue their education. So far, the scholarship has supported four students and will continue to support students for years to come.
To learn more about ways to give, including endowed scholarships, please click here.
