Above: 2024 Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award Recipient Debra Suh, Esq. ’85
Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award
Each year a Distinguished Alumna is nominated by fellow alumnae to be honored at the annual alumnae luncheon. The first recipients were chosen in 1988 and were two members of the Westridge student body from its founding in 1913. The citation for the award reads:
To honor Mary Lowther Ranney the award is given annually by Westridge School to an alumna whose life embodies the spirit of the Westridge motto, Surgere Tentamus, and who, by her commitment to her chosen path, her dedication to lifelong growth and learning, and her habits of heart, mind, and action is an example and inspiration to the Westridge community.
2024 Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award Recipient
Debra Suh, Esq. ’85
Debra Suh, Esq. ’85 has worked in nonprofit organizations for over three decades to build a safer and more equitable society. For nearly 24 years, she was the executive director of the Center for the Pacific Asian Family (CPAF), an organization supporting survivors of domestic and sexual violence in the immigrant Asian/Pacific Islander community. She currently serves on the boards of the Asian Pacific Institute on Gender Based Violence and Sequoyah School as well as on the California Office of Emergency Service’s Domestic Violence Advisory Council, and has previously held leadership roles at the California Responsive Domestic Violence Network and the Korean American Bar Association. Her daughter, Nina ’18, is also a proud Westridge alumna.
Distinguished Young Alumna Award
The Westridge Distinguished Young Alumna Award was established in 2020 to honor each year a young alumna who has made a meaningful impact in her community and notable strides in her chosen field. The citation for the award reads:
This award is given annually by Westridge School to a young alumna who exhibits excellence, leadership, and agency during her educational and career path, and who continues to serve as a role model and inspiration for Westridge students.
Above: 2024 Distinguished Young Alumna Award Recipient Isabella Bautista ’16
2024 Distinguished Young Alumna Award Recipient
Isabella Bautista ’16
Isabella Bautista ’16 has a deep-rooted passion for making a positive impact on the world around her. She is president of the Junior Board of Swirls for Girls, a community-driven nonprofit dedicated to multicultural awareness, personal development, and impactful social projects—a mentorship program she benefited from in her youth. She also works for Straussner • Sherman • Lonné • Treger • Helquist Law Firm. Previously, Isabella was a consultant for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research in Geneva, Switzerland. She studied at UC Santa Barbara where she earned a bachelor’s degree in global studies and a professional writing minor, specializing in multimedia communications.
Nominate the next Mary Lowther Ranney Distinguished Alumna Award
or Distinguished Young Alumna Award recipient!
Thank you for your interest in nominating an alumna! We are no longer accepting nominations for our 2024 awards (which will be distributed at Alumnae Weekend in March 2024), but please email Director of Alumnae Engagement Fan Wang at fwang@westridge.org if you would like to submit a nomination for a future award.
Past Award Winners
* denotes deceased
- 1988: Marian Brackenridge*
- 1988: Margaret Brackenridge Jones*
- 1989: Harriet Doerr*
- 1990: Anne Richardson Gilbert*
- 1991: Gwen Garland Babcock
- 1992: Joan Montgomery Hotchkis*
- 1993: Joan Lamb Ullyot*
- 1994: Jessie Reynolds Groothius
- 1995: Jae Giddings Carmichael*
- 1996: Julia Cates*
- 1997: Jean Tarr Fleming
- 1998: Audrey Steele Burnand*
- 1998: Polly Hunter Turpin*
- 1999: Helen Hastings Murphy
- 2000: Dorothy Hughes Matthiessen
- 2001: Joan Irvine Smith*
- 2002: Adelaide Finkbine Hixon*
- 2003: Margaret Taylor Cunningham
- 2004: Linda LeMoncheck
- 2005: Genna Rae McNeil
- 2006: Palmer Robinson
- 2007: Sara Sweezy Berry
1988: Marian Brackenridge*
1988: Margaret Brackenridge Jones*
1989: Harriet Doerr*
1990: Anne Richardson Gilbert*
1991: Gwen Garland Babcock
1992: Joan Montgomery Hotchkis*
1993: Joan Lamb Ullyot*
1994: Jessie Reynolds Groothius
1995: Jae Giddings Carmichael*
1996: Julia Cates*
1997: Jean Tarr Fleming
1998: Audrey Steele Burnand*
1998: Polly Hunter Turpin*
1999: Helen Hastings Murphy
2000: Dorothy Hughes Matthiessen
2001: Joan Irvine Smith*
2002: Adelaide Finkbine Hixon*
2003: Margaret Taylor Cunningham
2004: Linda LeMoncheck
2005: Genna Rae McNeil
2006: Palmer Robinson
2007: Sara Sweezy Berry
- 2008: Joan Taufenback Haskell*
- 2009: Bonnie Dean
- 2010: Elizabeth Wayland Barber
- 2011: Nan Elliot Hale
- 2012: Alissa Arp
- 2013: Joni Moisant Weyl
- 2014: Mary Lowther Ranney*
- 2015: Nancy (Ophelia) Ennis Follett
- 2016: Elizabeth (Tizzie) Oldknow-Huttinger
- 2017: Heather Pidcoke
- 2018: Julie Frantz
- 2019: Sigrid Burton
- 2020: Jinko Gotoh
- 2020: Lauren Yang
- 2021: Jossalyn Turner Emslie
- 2021: Jade McKnight
- 2022: Vicki Vlachakis von Holzhausen
- 2022: Bianca Mabute-Louie
- 2023: Thembisa Mshaka
- 2023: Sarah Beshir