Teresa English '88

During her time at Oakcrest, Teresa English ’88, spent her spare time serving in a local soup kitchen. With a big heart for service, she says that it was a conversation with a Franciscan monk, again at a soup kitchen during her first year at The University of Maryland, that led her to get her Masters in Nursing. 

“Oakcrest taught me the principles of a joy-filled life,” Teresa says. 

She currently works as an inpatient diabetes educator at the University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center in Largo, Maryland. 

Attending Oakcrest in the 7th-12th grades at the Yuma campus from 1982-1988, Teresa loved her English and history classes. “I still have my English textbook,” she says. “Miss O’Donovan was a favorite teacher, although all were appreciated. They inspired a love for learning that has been lifelong.” 

Some of her favorite Oakcrest memories include attending daily Mass, alongside the lifelong friendships that she formed and a great love for reading and learning. A highlight, she says, was the Oakcrest road trip to New Orleans to see Saint John Paul II, which she remembers fondly. 

“A liberal arts education provided a foundation for understanding the world; to see the essence rather than be distracted by the bells and whistles,” Teresa explains, adding that while she was at Oakcrest in the ‘80s, she learned the flaws of philosophies such as Descartes’ “I think, therefore I am” and New Age practices. 

Heartfelt advice that Teresa wishes to share with Oakcrest seniors, is “to stay close to the Lord.” “Best wishes to each and every one of you,” she says. 

In her free time, Teresa enjoys spending time with her family and friends, studying WWI history, ballet, and mentoring teenagers.