Alumnae Perspectives
Click on a photo to learn what Madeira alumnae are saying about their experiences.
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Mary Cosby Rinehart, Class of 1957
“The Madeira experience is not one that grows dim with the passing of each year. Rather, the farther away time takes me from the place called Madeira, the more I realize just how close to my heart I hold those principles and beliefs that forged my character when I was sitting on the Oval with friends, discussing ancient history in Schoolhouse with Miss Rex, or simply absorbing the natural beauty of the campus. When someone asks me to describe what aspects of my Madeira education were the most meaningful, I tend to reply, “Then or now?”I can view the experience with two sets of eyes. As a student there, I cherished the friends I made, and many are still my best friends today. Getting to know girls from so many different places was wonderfully exciting, especially for a girl from Charlotte.
“But reflecting on Madeira as the owner of a business that competes in the predominantly male financial services industry, I am awed by just how contemporary Miss Madeira was in encouraging her girls to explore their possibilities...all of them...and to meet each challenge with determination. It would never cross her mind that a woman could not do something once she set her mind to it. Madeira instilled in me a firm sense of independence. The School encouraged me to trust myself as I took my place in the world to be that person I am capable of becoming.”
