Caitlin Stedt doesn’t hesitate to credit her Catholic education for the abundance of joy she exudes. Her joy is even greater because she knows it might never have happened.
“We had a lot of doctors recommend that I go to public school because they thought Catholic schools weren’t going to have the resources,” said Stedt, who has a hearing impairment and a learning disability. “I’m so thankful that my parents trusted in God’s plan for us and kept me in Catholic school.”
Stedt admits she was fearful to attend Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria after finishing the eighth grade at St. Bernadette School in Springfield. “I remember in elementary and middle school, I had to work 10 times harder just to be where everyone else was,” she said. “That can make school a very isolating place. You’re always looking over your shoulder, hoping no one else notices your disability.”
She found a home in the De Sales program at Ireton that is designed for students with mild to moderate learning disabilities. “Kids don’t even realize that there’s so many people out there that feel exactly what they’re feeling,” said Stedt. “De Sales became a community with other teachers and kids who knew my pain, and my pain was not invisible because it was everyone else’s too.”
Seeking a way to “get out of the house” during the pandemic, Stedt made a fateful decision to give the sport of rowing a try in the summer before her freshman year. She quickly moved into the role of coxswain — sitting at the front and steering the boat while exhorting her teammates. “It’s given me a different way to define myself instead of defining myself as the deaf girl or the girl with learning disabilities,” she said. “I just got to be part of a team.”
Much to her surprise, she excelled, and went on to earn an athletic scholarship to attend St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Stedt will be a coxswain on the men’s team, which is not uncommon in the sport. “Women tend to be lighter and shorter and I like to talk a lot, so it works out great,” she joked. “My coach was pretty adamant that I focus on the men’s team, so my senior year has been exclusively with the men.”
Stedt also flourished in Ireton’s “Best Buddies International” chapter, a program that fosters inclusive friendships between students with and without disabilities. “I was just a regular club member, then I was the officer of outreach, and this year I’m the president of our chapter,” she said. “It’s about having a space for kids whether they’re neurodivergent themselves, or have a loved one that’s neurodivergent.”
“Caitlin is special because her personal experiences have made her uniquely empathetic toward teens who are going through a variety of things in their own lives,” said Elizabeth Subasavage, special services department chair. “She wants to walk in Christ’s shoes by helping others with compassion and care.”
In contrast to the self-conscious girl of four years ago, Stedt will enter college with confidence. She credits the De Sales program for making the biggest difference. “That program became my touchstone,” she said. “They do a really good job of teaching us how to be better advocates for ourselves, not just in school, but in life.”
For those struggling with a disability, Stedt is using her life story as an open book. ”I just want to share my story with as many people as God gives me the chance to share it with,” she said. “God is just waiting for you to make those connections.”
