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MEMORY LANE - 7 QUESTIONS FOR A SAINT ROSE ALUMNUS
Othni Lathram '88
Othni Lathram attended St. Rose from 1982-1988. He graduated from St. Henry in Nashville (another great Dominican school). His brother Charlie and sisters Jayne and Kati also attended St. Rose. Othni's mom, Mary Lathram, taught pre-k for some years and his Aunt Veronica Wheeler taught first grade.
1. Can you tell us about your current (if retired, former) profession and how your time at St. Rose Academy influenced your career path?
I am a lawyer who works for the Alabama Legislature. I spend my time drafting bills, working on the budgets, and advising legislators on various policy options. I always remember being encouraged to think critically at St. Rose. While the teachers, particularly the Sisters, were almost always right, they did not expect us to just take their word for it. We were allowed to question, probe, and search for answers even when it was uncomfortable. I have so many fond memories of deep conversations about faith and life at St. Rose and know now that those shaped me even when I was resisting it.
2. How have the values, the Sisters, the teachers, and/or the teachings from St. Rose Academy played a role in your or your family's life and upbringing?
I am married to a wonderful Catholic educator whom I met at John Carroll, and we have a son at Auburn and a daughter in high school. My experience growing up made me know that Catholic education would be a priority for children. Christopher is a 2022 graduate of Montgomery Catholic and Anna will graduate in 2025. There is no substitute for having the faith and values you are striving to instill in your children reinforced where they go to school.
3. Looking back at your years as a student at St. Rose, can you share some memorable times, lessons, or teachings that have stayed with you throughout your life?
The installation of faith is what really sticks out. I think it was so powerful because it was taught more by example than word. There were times when I was not catching it, but when I look back now, I know it permeated everything we did. I have had the great luxury of never having doubted that I was somehow part of God’s plan. That does not mean it has always been easy, or that I have not failed grandly and often, but I always had the foundation of knowing it. That was installed first at home, but the foundation was built upon every day in how we were educated.
4. How did either or both the education or spiritual guidance you received at St. Rose shape your beliefs and daily practices today?
It is hard for me to think about any part of my life that was not shaped by my time at St. Rose. We were taught to think for ourselves, trust in God’s love and mercy, and be kind to each other. Everything boiled down to those three things. I remember a great sense of expectation from the Sisters. Not an unhealthy expectation, but one of them knowing what you could do and rooting for you to do it. You wanted to make them proud, and that desire made you better. While I appreciated them then, looking back now I am even more struck by the great sacrifice they make and the impact that has on those around them.
5. Do you have any specific moments or experiences from your time at St. Rose that you still hold dear or cherish as fond memories?
I have great memories, before there was a gym, of school-wide masses in the driveway with all the students seated on the hill facing the old house. Those times of community were really special. I also continue to be amazed by the number of Sisters who I still think could have played in the NBA in full habit. The number of times we fell victim to that athleticism and ended up with manual labor assigned for losing still makes me scratch my head. I also remember the profound wisdom of Sister Mary Jean. When I was a fifth grader, she and I had what has remained in my life a seminal moment of faith formation that I ponder on even to this day on a regular basis. It continues to strike me how were talked to, not at. The level of respect we were treated with as children in how we were taught was really special in a way I appreciate far more fully today.
6. St. Rose Academy fosters a strong sense of family and community. Can you tell us if and how this sense of community has influenced your life and relationships?
It was like growing up in a big extended family. It is one of the reasons I wanted so much for my children to go to Catholic schools. Being taught by people who genuinely care about you and how you turn out is one of the best things going on at good Catholic schools and St. Rose is a benchmark in that area.
7. What advice would you give to current St. Rose students based on your experiences and lessons learned during your time at the school?
Soak it in. I know it’s hard work and I know it feels like a lot is expected of you. It is, but the stakes are so much higher than your grades or school. You are being formed in a way that will prepare you for this life and the next. It is hard to appreciate that now, but one day you will.
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