The Outstanding Alumnae Awards recognize alumnae who have made significant contributions to their community or profession while embodying the Goals and values of Sacred Heart education.

Golden Outstanding Alumna

Donna Long Mazyck ’74

After 14 years as a nurse in community settings, Donna Mazyck ’74 discovered school nursing. She pioneered school nurse roles in a high school and an alternative school. Ms. Mazyck understands and has lived systems change and the importance of collaboration across school health leadership. At a state education department, she provided consultation and leadership to local school health services and school-based health center programs, working with government, community agencies, and other stakeholders to develop school health policies and regulations. During this time in her career, Ms. Mazyck volunteered at the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) as a board member (1999-2003) and as president (2007-2009).

In 2011, Ms. Mazyck was hired to lead NASN as executive director; she retired in 2023. A thoughtful and strategic leader, she led an expansion of the influence and impact of school nurses in addressing student and school community health and safety. Major initiatives during her tenure include launching and operationalizing a strategic plan focused on shared leadership, a commitment to evidence-based practice and data collection, and an emphasis on interprofessional collaboration among school nurses. She also oversaw the creation of “The Framework for 21st Century School Nursing,” defining the role of student-centered school nursing and its complex mix of community/public health, leadership, care coordination, quality improvement and standards of practice components, and the growth of NASN’s grant-funded activities to include major efforts in chronic conditions, data collection, and evidence-based practice.

Currently, Ms. Mazyck serves as a board member for Evermore, a nonprofit advancing US bereavement care and policy, and an advisory council member for Maryland English Language Learner Family Involvement Network (MELLFIN). She enjoys traveling with her husband, chatting with her adult children, playing with her granddaughters, and being in gardens.

Young Outstanding Alumna

Mariel Rico ’09

Mariel Rico ’09 received a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from The George Washington University and a M.S. in Aerospace Engineering Sciences from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

She is currently a Customer Program Manager for Axiom Space in Houston. Axiom Space aims to build and operate the world’s first commercial space station. She manages contracts between international governments and Axiom and helps ensure that Axiom meets contract requirements.

She started her career as a Payload Integration Engineer for NanoRacks, a commercial space services provider and the first company to operate a commercial laboratory in low-earth orbit. Ms. Rico was the primary customer interface for payload (science experiment) integration for Blue Origin’s New Shepard, a suborbital rocket. Afterward, she took a role at Aerodyne Industries LLC, a multi-faceted engineering services and solutions company, as an EVA (spacewalk) Operations Safety Engineer. She has worked on 11 EVAs, accumulating over 100 hours on console.

In 2018, the International Institute of Space Commerce awarded her the “35 under 35” award for her work with NanoRacks.

As to the future of her field, Ms. Rico is excited to see an increase in the accessibility to space that has come with commercialization. As she says, “Aerospace used to be just NASA. That is no longer the case.” With talented engineers like Ms. Rico leading the way, every day people’s access to space is getting closer and closer every day.

Outstanding Alumna

Andréa Vieira ’94

Washington, D.C., Latina entrepreneur Andréa Vieira ’94 is the co-founder and CEO of nailsaloon, the region’s first premier luxury nail and beauty parlor. With locations in Logan Circle, Capitol Hill, and Chevy Chase, Maryland, Ms. Vieira plans to launch two additional sites in the DMV area in 2024.

Before becoming an entrepreneur, Ms. Vieira served for 20 years as a journalist and television producer with the Discovery Channel, TruTV, HGTV, Animal Planet, and the Discovery Health Channel. She covered stories of Latin American interest for Globo TV in New York, Telemundo in Washington, DC, and CNN in Atlanta. Ms. Vieira also worked for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, crafting speeches for both Bill and Melinda Gates and drafting and deliberating public-facing communications for the pair and their projects. There, she cultivated her lifelong commitment to serving those most in need.

Ms. Vieira is driven by her business venture’s impact on a broader community and is committed to supporting women, the free press, and organizations that address homelessness. Named a 2023 winner of the Enterprising Women of the Year Award, Ms. Vieira commits nailsaloon to annual charitable donations and has contributed over $200,000 to causes, including the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless and her undergraduate alma mater, the University of Maryland’s Merrill College of Journalism.

Fluent in Portuguese, Spanish, and English, Ms. Vieira also holds a Global Executive MBA from Georgetown University and ESADE (Spain). She is a member of the Entrepreneurs’ Organization and sits on two boards, the D.C. Coalition for the Homeless and the Friends of the Art Museum of the Americas. Her proven record of cross-industry success has paved the way for her to drive seminal cultural and community impact through nail and beauty services. ❤