Biography of Sister Mary Sarah
Galbraith, O.P.
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Sister Mary Sarah entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation ("Nashville Dominicans") in 1988. She attended Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., graduating in 1992 with a bachelor of science in Biology, cum laude, and dual minors in History and Secondary Education. She spent the next several years teaching multiple grade levels in classrooms around the country, including St. Vincent de Paul School in Denver, Colo.; Our Lady of Mt. Carmel in Newport News, Va.; Saint Joseph School in Nashville, Tenn.; and Saint Rose School and John Carroll High School in Birmingham, Ala.
In 1999, Sister Mary Sarah was appointed principal of Our Lady of Victory School in Chicago, Ill., a post that she held for four years until being named principal of St. Cecilia Academy in Nashville in 2003, where she served until 2005. From August 2005 to June 2007, Sister was in Denver, Colo., where she served as assistant principal and academic dean of Bishop Machebeuf High School. During these years of administrative service in schools, Sister continued her own education. In May 2005, she earned a Master of Arts degree in Education Administration (M.A.Ed.) from Dominican University in Chicago, and in December 2008, a second master's in Medieval History from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn. Her graduate studies included coursework at other institutions as well, including the University of Tennessee, the University of Denver, and the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum in Rome.
In August 2008, Sister Mary Sarah began doctoral studies at the University of Sydney, Australia, where she also served in the University's campus ministry program until completing her dissertation in December 2010. She returned to Nashville in January 2011 to teach history at Aquinas College and to prepare for the transition to the presidency.
Please see the most recent edition of the Aquinas College Magazine for the feature article about Sister Mary Sarah, written by Sister Jane Dominic Laurel, O.P.
Inauguration Details »
Biography of Sister Mary Sarah »
Presidents of Aquinas College »
Symbols of Office »
Academic Regalia »
Did you know?
A native of Kansas City, Mo., Sister Mary Sarah entered the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation in 1988.
Read more »