Alumnae Holiday Luncheon and Awards
Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2022 Alumnae Holiday Luncheon and Awards. We were pleased to see alumnae from so many classes and we were honored to celebrate our alumnae award winners. Congratulations to our 2022 Distinguished Alumna, Katie Gibas Gibbons ’05, and to the family of our 2022 Alumnae Hall of Fame recipient, Kristen Siudzinski Coughlin ’90, who passed away in October 2021.
Alumnae Hall of Fame Award
Kristen Siudzinski Coughlin '90 (posthumously)
Kristen Siudzinski Coughlin, Class of 1990, lived an amazing life before passing away peacefully on October 11, 2021 after a brave battle with pancreatic cancer. Kristen graduated with an undergraduate degree from the University of Rochester. She received master’s degrees from American University, Johns Hopkins University and the Ecole d’Economie de Paris. She had a successful career with the Department of State as a respected Foreign Service Officer where she was stationed throughout the world. While training in Paris, Kristen stayed with the Daughters of the Heart of Mary. She was well traveled, residing in the U.S., Europe and Africa with her husband, Paul. She spoke eight different languages and enjoyed giving walking tours of the various cities that she lived in, including Washington, DC; Vienna, Austria; and Paris, France. In Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, Kristen worked with local women to develop walking tours that they could run as their own business. Abidjan Walks continues to thrive to this day. Kristen’s last request was to have a celebration of life, of which she could attend, which was held in September 2021, where she celebrated with many cherished loved ones. She will be greatly missed.
Distinguished Alumnae Award
Katie Gibas Gibbons ‘05
Katie Gibas Gibbons, Class of 2005, has been an integral part of the Nardin Academy Athletics Hall of Fame since its inception in 2016. As part of the Nardin Alumnae Buffalo Chapter, Katie helped plan, coordinate, and market the annual ceremony, in addition to securing donations for the Rising Star Award. A former multimedia journalist who spent more than a decade as a reporter, anchor, and executive producer for Spectrum News, Katie trained Nardin Academy students to use video equipment, shoot sequences, and edit marketing videos to promote the event in subsequent years. Katie has also graciously served as emcee for the event each year. More than simply arriving to read a prepared script, Katie reviews the program well in advance and rehearses prior to the ceremony to ensure that the night runs smoothly. She has volunteered her time speaking to students at various times throughout the year, including at Winter Experience where she discusses topics such as interviewing techniques and building a resume. Demonstrating her commitment to service, Katie is the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors at The Service Collaborative of WNY. She is a past board member of the Buffalo Broadcasters Association. She also serves as a mentor to Moog Inc. employees where she works as the Marketing Communications Manager. She has been working to create an alumnae group at Moog with several other women who have also graduated from Nardin Academy. Nardin is blessed to have such a dedicated alumna.
