Since childhood, Sister Fest has had an ultimate goal to help and serve people.
WAKEFIELD, RI, March 21, 2019 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical profiles, is proud to present Sister Maria G. Fest with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished listee, Sister Fest celebrates many years' experience in her professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes she has accrued in her field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection process.
Since childhood, Sister Fest has had an ultimate goal to help and serve people. In particular, she wanted to take care of the underserved. She began her career in 1965 as a middle school teacher for the Saint Mary School of the Pittsburgh Diocese. The following year, she joined Divine Providence Academy, where she served as a high school teacher in science and math for four years before progressing to the role of principal. She influenced the academy in this role for six years. Sister Fest then became a financial aid director for La Roche College and served as an adjunct faculty member for the health-related sciences. After completing her doctoral degree, she was associate professor for the health and natural sciences division at La Roche College. After completing her tenure with the college in 1990, she was elected to a leadership position of her Congregation and served on the Board of Directors of Divine Providence Hospital. In that capacity, she played an integral role in selling the hospital to a larger hospital network. Because the hospital served the poor people of Pittsburgh's North Side, her Community wanted to use the money gained from the sale of the hospital to serve people of that neighborhood. With this ultimate goal close in mind, Sister Fest worked with the community to utilize the money from the sale to affect the underserved of the area. To do so, she collaborated with other sisters to create a family-based ministry called Providence Connections, where they were able to help many of 1,200 families, headed by single-mothers. She served on the Board of Providence Connections and served as its Executive Director for eight years. Noting that this experience was the highlight of her career, Sister Fest continues to support the organization which is celebrating its 25th year.
Sister Fest has helped her community in many ways over the years. She has been a trustee of La Roche College and Pittsburgh Mercy Health Systems. She has also authored articles published in the National Nurse Anesthetist Journal. When asked of her success in her career, Sister Fest credits her compassion and her education. She holds a Bachelor of Science from La Roche College, a Master of Science from the University of Notre Dame, and a Doctor of Arts in Chemistry from Lehigh University.
Now as the Congregational Leader of her International Congregation, she is working with their Peruvian Sisters who have a project to empower women. Knowing that education is key to overcoming family poverty, she is involved in helping the Sisters in Lima to establish a residence for 20 women from 18-25 years of age who are coming to Lima from rural areas of Peru, mountains and jungle, to have a safe and secure place of residence while they pursuer their education in universities and training schools in Lima.
In light of her exceptional undertakings, Sister Fest has garnered multiple accolades during her tenure. La Roche College named an award in her honor called the Sister Maria Fest Award, a scholarship in service to the sciences. Likewise, the college honored her with a Distinguished Alumni Award in 2015. She was also listed in the 24th and 25th editions of Who's Who of American Women.
In recognition of outstanding contributions to her profession and the Marquis Who's Who community, Sister Maria G. Fest has been featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website. Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this honor.
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