We’re thrilled to spotlight our December Foley Alumni: our Director of Design & Marketing at BFC, Kaitlyn Chornoby (BFC ‘08)!

Embracing the Foley Spirit

Kaitlyn Chornoby, a spirited alumna from the Class of 2008, is a shining example of how passion and dedication can lead to impactful achievements. During her time at Bishop Foley, Kaitlyn committed herself to a variety of activities and embraced every opportunity to grow as a leader and team player!

“After over four years working at BFC, I feel incredibly blessed to evolve the Foley brand and enhance the experience for our current Ventures,” she says of her work today. “Being able to give back and support robotics, performing arts and athletics — programs that impacted me so much as a student — is an honor. Those experiences laid the foundation for some rockstar opportunities I’ve had in my career, both before my time working at Foley and currently.”

Reflecting on her time at Foley, Kaitlyn shares memories from the spirit weeks. “Each class decorated a full hallway, and we would go all-out in building full experiences,” she says. “I also remember the skits we prepared for spirit week — one year, our theme was ‘Legends of the Hidden Temple’ and we built a giant Olmec for our hallway. I still have all of the t-shirts from each spirit year, too!”

Building a Foundation for Success

BFC provided Kaitlyn with a well-rounded foundation for her future, especially in college. “The English classes at Foley gave me a fantastic basis to begin what would end up as one of my majors,” she says. "It was a natural transition from being editor of The VenturiaN (the Bishop Foley student newspaper) to working with The Oakland Post, where I discovered a talent for graphic design, which became my second major!” Kaitlyn explains.

Her experience extended beyond academics. Her time with robotics supplied her with basic skills beyond her career path, leading to engineering and physics classes; four years of studying French at BFC encouraged her to study three additional languages at the collegiate level.

After graduation, Kaitlyn’s journey brought her back to Foley, not as a student but as a mentor. Through her commitment to the Foley Freeze robotics team, she dedicated hours and hours to helping students develop their skills for the real world. 

“Through college, I continued mentoring the Foley Freeze robotics team, where I personally grew as a creative while guiding new generations of students to follow their passion for design, media and journalism, too,” she says.

Evolving the Foley Brand

Before returning to Bishop Foley Catholic as a staff member, Kaitlyn worked in promotions for 89X CIMX, a rock alternative radio station in Detroit. There, she led events and eventually became the station's official concert photographer, a role that allowed her to meet many bands and build invaluable professional connections.

Today, Kaitlyn plays a vital role at Bishop Foley Catholic as the Director of Design & Marketing, working to evolve the school's brand and create meaningful experiences for current, future, and past Ventures. It is safe to say Bishop Foley Catholic shaped her journey as a student and professional.

“It’s pretty easy to stay connected when you work at Foley,” she says. “I stay connected to the school and my graduating class through social media, and continue to stay connected with my friend group of fellow Ventures. I can always be found in my design cave at BFC or on my personal social accounts, though I rarely post there thanks to managing Foley's accounts!” 

Some of Kaitlyn’s photography work can be found at www.kaitlynchornoby.com — most of her senior photo work is of our wonderful Venture graduates!

Words of Wisdom for Current BFC Students

“Try something new! All of my experiences at Foley led to me finding my true passions, and some I never thought I would fall in love with. Each small path at BFC took me on an adventure — pun maybe intended — that has shaped who I am today. You never know where a new experience will lead — you might end up as a concert photographer for your favorite radio station, or end up inspiring a new wave of creatives at your alma mater. Foley is a goldmine of opportunity, and a safe place to experience anything you might be interested in. Take a chance on all of it — it might change your life.”

Thank you, Kaitlyn, for your unwavering dedication to Bishop Foley Catholic and for continuing to inspire Ventures past, present and future!