Closeup with Juliette Picciano, President

By Faith Fraser ’23 and Haley Seepersaud ’23
Rising seniors Faith Fraser and Haley Seepersaud who write for the Cathedralite Press, sat down with Juliette Picciano, Cathedral’s first president, to gain her insights on the new role and learn more about her.
What was your first reaction when you heard about the job opening at Cathedral for the new position as president? Was there a certain aspect to Cathedral and its identity that drew you in?
What attracted me to the position was Cathedral High School’s mission to educate the daughters of immigrant families. I went to an all-girls Catholic school in New Orleans growing up and had a fantastic experience, and I was very excited about the prospect of helping to serve the young women of Cathedral. 
Was there a determining factor that pushed you to take the job as Cathedral’s new president?
In addition to loving the mission of the school, I also greatly respected the board members I met throughout the interview process. They are extremely committed to Cathedral, which I found incredibly energizing and motivating. I also loved meeting Maria Spagnuolo and thought that she and I would make strong partners in advancing the mission of the school. 
Where were you in your career right before you decided to come to Cathedral?
I was actually in this same building working for the Archdiocese of New York! Right before coming to Cathedral, I was serving as the Director of the Cardinal’s Appeal, which is a $21 million campaign that funds all of the archdiocese’s educational, charitable, and pastoral outreach. 
What does it mean to you to be a faith leader at a Catholic school like Cathedral? How has your faith been important in your life?
What I keep coming back to as I think about the question of Catholic identity here at Cathedral is a quote from one of the former archbishops of New York, John Cardinal O’Connor: “every human person is a unique and unrepeatable act of God.” Here at Cathedral, we have a school culture that recognizes each student as unique and unrepeatable; this is a place where each young woman’s particular gifts are cultivated! The teachers and administrators are here to help you identify these gifts in yourselves, because oftentimes others recognize gifts in us before we ourselves realize we have those talents and abilities. At the end of my own life, I would like to be able to tell St. Peter that I was a good steward of the gifts that God shared with me, my family, and the many young women I came to know through Cathedral High School!
Was working in education something you have wanted to do since you were in high school, or did you initially want to pursue something else? If so, what did you want to be at seventeen years old?
My senior year of high school was marked by Hurricane Katrina, and to be honest, I was not really thinking about what I wanted to be in the long term. I was thinking, what is happening in my life right now? and what am I going to do about college? 
Did I always know I wanted to work at a school? Probably not. However, I have always loved learning and hope to share that love with the community here.
As your career has progressed, what have you found to be the motivating and driving factors that told you this field of work was right for you?
Relationships, results, and storytelling. I think so many of the students here have amazing stories, and I am excited to celebrate and promote the incredible ways that Cathedral High School is helping shape the course of your lives.
What are you most passionate about in our school community?
I’m very moved by the fact that Cathedral High School has remained true to its mission since 1905, and that over the course of many decades, women from vastly different racial, social, and geographic backgrounds have all been profoundly influenced by the education they’ve received here. As I get to know our sponsors, alumnae, prospective families, and supporters of the school, I am hoping to tell that story as well! 
What, if anything, would you like to say to all the Cathedralites, past and present, about your new role at Cathedral? What should they expect from you in the upcoming years?
First of all, thank you for the warm welcome! To the present students: dream big! There is so much you have to offer and you should count on Cathedral to support you as you carve out your place in the world. To the alumnae: I’m looking forward to meeting you! Thank you for having chosen Cathedral and for your contributions to the school. Come back and visit! 
Regarding my role in particular, I’m really here to focus on advancing the school through shaping its strategic direction, expanding the school’s development and alumnae engagement efforts, and growing enrollment. In short, I’m here to support the Board of Trustees, Maria, and our teachers as we seek to better live out the mission that we set forth over a hundred years ago and still remains relevant today.