Athene Club tea tradition continues in Charleroi
The Athene Club holds the event every year for senior girls at Charleroi Area High School.
The Athene Club holds the event every year for senior girls at Charleroi Area High School.
Founded in 1902 and named for the Greek Goddess of Wisdom, the Athene club hosts an event each year for Charleroi Area senior girls in an effort to inspire women of all ages, careers and backgrounds.
It’s a tradition that helps prepare grads for the next chapter of their lives.
On Friday, Marian Hall at Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish in Charleroi was filled with young women who got dressed up and spent a day with friends and mentors as part of an annual tradition — but what they take away is more valuable than a selfie.
The young women left inspired and equipped with inspiration and hard truths carried with them in their hearts as they prepare to navigate the triumphs and struggles to come.
Sadie Sterner Restivo, executive director of Pittsburgh Action Against Rape, was the keynote speaker.
Restivo has served in her current role since May 2017. She handles the development, implementation and evaluation of all agency initiatives and resources for the organization and is responsible for managing 50 employees.
Restivo oversees agency services and sustains the group’s mission to serve survivors of sexual violence and their families.
A 2001 graduate of Charleroi Area High School, she holds bachelor’s degree in political science from West Virginia University.
Restivo highlighted the historical context of the Athene Club, founded by women in 1902, and emphasized the importance of lifelong learning and service.
She shared her journey from Charlotte to West Virginia University, her career in politics, and her current role at PAR, which provides comprehensive services to sexual violence survivors. Restivo encouraged the graduates to pursue diverse career paths, support each other and advocate for justice and equality, stressing the importance of authenticity and community — no matter the paths they choose to pursue.
“I am not your keynote speaker today,” she said. “I am one of you.
“I walked the halls and I sat in the classrooms just as you do today. I had some of the same hopes and a lot of the same questions that you carry with you today. I grew up right here.”
In her home, she was taught to step in to help when she saw someone who needed it.
“I was raised in a home where we didn’t just talk about showing up. We lived it,” she said. “My parents taught me, when you see someone struggling, you ask them if you can help. When you notice something unfair, you speak up. And when you have a little extra time, money or privilege, you use it for good. You show up.”
Restivo spoke about her time as a student, which she admitted wasn’t her favorite.
“I was not at the top of my class, I did not get straight A’s,” she said. “I did not collect trophies or awards.”
She remembered hoping for more and wondering what that was.
“I didn’t know exactly what I was looking for, but I knew I was looking for it,” she said.
As a college student at West Virginia University she faced a lot of the same questions. As a political science major, she learned how to lead, how to carry herself and eventually she found her why.
“I spent time in politics and government. Sometimes I recommend, sometimes I don’t,” she said. “It was fast paced, it was intense and it taught me a lot about power, who has it, who doesn’t and how it’s used. But eventually I found my way into the nonprofit world, and that’s where I found my why.”
Restivo encouraged the teens to find their own why.
“I want to make something clear, you don’t have to work for a nonprofit to make a difference. You don’t have to be in politics or have a certain title. You just have to care. You have to show up. And here’s the part I really want you to hear, there is no one path to success.
“You don’t have to go to college to be successful. College is one path, not the path. You can go to a trade school. You can become an electrician, plumber, a welder, a machinist. You can join an apprenticeship program. You can work with your hands and build real things. You can step into fields that have traditionally been considered male dominated, and not only succeed, but you can survive. You can thrive.
“Let me say one thing, there is nothing more powerful than a woman in steel-toed boots holding her ground and owning her craft. We need more of these in more spaces. The doors are opening, and I hope you will walk through them with your head held high.”
Restivo hopes her words carry weight.
“I believe in you,” she said. “I believe that you, this next generation of women, will keep pushing boundaries, breaking ceilings, lifting each other up. You have a voice. Use it. You have power. Claim it. You have community. Support it, especially the ones who often are often forgotten, the poor, the displaced, the abused, the ones who have been told they don’t matter, show up for them. Fight for them. Because when one of us rises, we all rise.
“So today, as you prepare to take your next steps, whatever that looks like for you, I want you to know one thing, I will keep showing up for you. I will keep fighting for justice, for equality, for safety, and I hope that you will join me, whether it’s in the halls of government, whether it’s on the floor of the factory or a classroom, a nonprofit or at your own kitchen table, I hope that you will use your voice. I hope you’ll support other women. I hope you’ll keep showing up, because you’re strong, you’re capable and you are enough exactly how you are.”
