Mount de Sales graduate finds sense of community

CATONSVILLE – From her volleyball teammates to her bandmates in productions of “Beauty and the Beast” and “Oliver!,” Zoe Kreisel found her community at Mount de Sales Academy. From freshman year, Kreisel could be found among the school’s athletes and musicians, offering her talents to the community’s efforts.

“It’s pretty amazing,” Kreisel said. “It’s nice to have a strong community. They’ve helped me to set my values. My friends (here) are going to be lifelong.”

In volleyball, Kreisel helped the Sailors win the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland A Conference title as a junior, then was team captain as a senior. In orchestra, she stretched her musical skills, playing percussion, flute and piccolo, and performed in four musicals.

The camaraderie in both arenas left an impression.

“You come together as a (volleyball) team and you have this incredible experience,” Kreisel said. “I loved every minute of (orchestra). That’s been an amazing constant for me. It played a big part in advancing my skills.”

In addition to her parents, Cullen and Maria, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia and her other teachers at Mount de Sales gave her strong role models, she said, and helped her develop her faith.

“You see them living their faith every day and you want to follow them in that,” she said. “They’ve created a strong base, both religiously and academically, for me.”

Kreisel will attend Georgetown University to study nursing and economics. She said she wants to go into nursing, better understand health care and the business of insurance, and eventually help shape the conversation on those subjects.

She’s already volunteered in the post-anesthesia care unit at the University of Maryland Medical Center.

“Zoe is motivated in all that she does by faith and love for God,” said religion teacher Allison George. “She does not try to draw attention to herself, but stands out as extremely thoughtful and generous. I believe if she continues in her plan to be a nurse, she will make a great one.”

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