Maggie McMahon McGarry '98

While I began as Trinity’s Director of Development in 2020, Trinity has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. My grandmother, Margaret “Honey” McGuire Powers ‘45, felt so strongly about the mission of Trinity that even long after her own daughters had graduated, she continued to dedicate years to Trinity as a volunteer and member of the Board of Directors. As a child, while my mother, Kathleen Powers McMahon ‘71, was at work, I was often Honey’s sidekick. Be it volunteering, planning, or just visiting with Mrs. Cronin in the Advancement Office, we spent hours at Trinity. It was during these times with my grandmother that I first saw Trinity’s mission in action. 

 

With two generations of empowered alumnae before me, from a very young age, I understood that Trinity was in my future; yet, it was not until I began my own high school journey that I fully grasped the importance of Trinity’s mission. While I began as a painfully shy freshman, I flourished in Trinity’s supportive single-gender environment and graduated in 1998 as an outspoken, confident woman. I left Trinity with a sense of absolute certainty that my gender would never stand in the way of my ability to obtain educational and professional success. 

 

After graduating from Trinity, I earned my undergraduate degree from Miami University and then my J.D. from Loyola University Chicago School of Law. The confidence that Trinity instilled in me was so apparent that throughout both college and law school, professors would often ask if I had attended an all-girls high school. As I began my career as a practicing attorney, that confidence often distinguished me from female peers who at times appeared hesitant to assert themselves against their male counterparts. Seeing that hesitation result in the perpetuation of gender inequality in the workplace made me acutely aware of the impact that Trinity had on my own life. 

 

The critical need to increase efforts to advance the mission of empowering young women became all the more apparent after my daughter was born. After 14 years of practicing law, I made the decision to return to Trinity as the Director of Development. As I watch my daughter grow up, I am so proud of the work that I do to ensure future generations of Blazers will be given the opportunity to grow into intelligent, confident, leaders at Trinity!