Alumnae Awards

2023 Distinguished Alumna, Kaliswa Brewster '01, is an actress, producer, and educator based in New York. On television, Kaliswa has recurred on Showtime’s Billions, ABC’s series Time After Time, and Release. Film credits include Paterno for HBO Films starring Al Pacino and directed by Barry Levinson, the feature film Paint, and The Bit Player for PBS. Guest star and other television credits include NBC’S Law & Order, CBS’ Blue Bloods, &  Netflix’s Daredevil. Her Voiceover work includes audiobooks such as Disney’s “Almost There” which is a reimagination of the Princess Tiana story, spots for dozens of TV shows including Netflix’s hit Wednesday, Gossip Girl, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Kaliswa has also worked on several audio projects with Marvel. 

Pagliacci, a short film that Kaliswa starred in and produced, explores the internal conflicts that can occur inside a black woman wrestling with race and politics. Pagliacci was an official selection of the 2022 Micheaux Film Festival. 

Kaliswa serves on the board of Molière in the Park, a theater company committed to providing free, Broadway quality theater to New York based on the belief that theater has the power to unite and heal diverse communities. Kaliswa has both produced and acted in MIP productions alongside stars from the entertainment world such as Samira Riley and Raul Esparza.

As an activist, Kaliswa has worked closely alongside Rev. Dr Jacqui Lewis of Middle Collegiate Church in NYC. Kaliswa helped Middle and Jacqui devise Anti-Racism workshops and produced a star-packed special for Juneteenth including names such as Jenifer Lewis, Nicole Ari Parker, and Bebe Winans. 

Kaliswa is a Lecturer at Brooklyn College where she teaches The Business of Acting to the graduating Masters of Fine Arts Program. She has been hired by dozens of colleges across the country to facilitate community building, acceptance, and authenticity amongst their student bodies.

Kaliswa holds a BA from Whitman College in Theater, and Masters of Fine Arts from American Conservatory Theater and a Certificate in Classical Theater from LAMDA in London. 

When not working, Kaliswa enjoys travel & fitness. A cancer survivor and a person living with an autoimmune disorder, Kaliswa ran the 2021 New York Marathon to celebrate her return to health.

2021 Distinguished Alumna Lori Dauphiny is in her 24th year as the head coach of women’s open crew for Princeton University.   She arrived to Princeton in 1989 from Columbia University and was promoted to Head Coach in 1996, the first female head coach in women’s open crews’ 41 year history.  

Twice she has been named National Coach of the Year and has led the Princeton Tigers to an unprecedented era of success over her career. Under Lori’s leadership, Princeton has won two V8+ NCAA Championships and 10 Ivy League crowns.  
 
Lori was inducted into the Collegiate Rowing Coaches Association's Hall of Fame in 2019. She also has spent summers since 1997 working with the U.S. national team and coached the pair and lightweight double at the 2004 Olympics.  Lori likes to spend her free time with friends and family and enjoys hiking, running and watching her 14 year old son play soccer.   

Sacred Heart Award Recipient Mud McHugh ’70 has always been loyal to Forest Ridge. Mud’s devotion to the Sacred Heart runs deep. Her mother, aunts, sisters and many cousins attended Forest Ridge too.  Mud credits the RSCJ’s with giving her and her family a solid foundation based on love and faith.

Mud has given generously of her time over the years. She served on the Alumnae Board and the Board of Trustees in the 90’s and continued to stay involved by helping with many school fundraising events and reunions until COVID closed down our campus.  One recent example is that Mud was the creative mind behind a 2019 Silent Auction item of Who Wants to Take On the Irish Shark at Pool, where she donated a watch party at T.S. McHugh’s Irish Pub for the highest bidder to compete against Sr. O’Dea, aka “The Irish Shark.”  Her fun-loving spirit and generosity brought alums together and created community spirit. Its many acts like that over the years that makes it an honor to confer this award on Mud.