Page 13 - 20-21 Annual Report

FEATURE

A Piece of

Their Journey

Time. Talent. Treasure. The Catholic Church teaches
us early and often—if we can give one, we’re doing our
part. Jen Ahrens ‘87 manages to balance all three.

Jen dreamed of becoming a teacher since she was a little girl and
fulfilled that dream at Cor Jesu in the fall of 2002. She worked hard
as a CJA student; she works just as a hard as a CJA teacher.
“This place (Cor Jesu) made me ready for everything else. Notre Dame was no big
deal after going to high school at Cor Jesu,” Jen says of her college alma mater. “The
education is so strong, and I remember the expectations were very high for us, and
that’s what my students see in my classroom now. I make them work really hard.”

Jen’s first year on the job she taught world history to freshmen and
theology to seniors. Over the years, her resume has expanded to include
freshman, sophomore and senior theology, law, U.S. history, world history
and even a history of space flight elective for a couple of years.

“I love teaching all kinds of different courses because as a teacher,
I love learning, too,” Jen says. “That’s why most people become
teachers, because they love to learn and are curious people.”
Not only does Jen work hard to JEN
challenge her students in the classroom,
but she spends a significant amount of
time educating Cor Jesu girls through
clubs and co-curricular activities.
As a student, Jen served as the
president of the National Honor
Society (NHS), and now has been the
co-moderator of the organization

Left: Jen Ahrens and CJA science teacher, Larry Russell,
at Harry Potter World in London.
Top: Jen Ahrens with students and other chaperones
on the trip to the British Isles in 2018.
Above: Jen Ahrens on the 2010 Greece Trip.
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