Ringgold students urged to focus on character at Senior Girls’ Luncheon

Monongahela Women’s Club VP Olivia DeRose Behanna was the event’s keynote speaker.

The most important part of life isn’t the beginning or the end — it’s the dash in between, a lesson Ringgold seniors carried with them Friday at the annual Senior Girls’ Luncheon.

Nearly 60 seniors attended the luncheon at Mon Valley Country Club, where the Monongahela Women’s Club hosted the event centered on celebration, reflection and guidance for life after graduation.

Surrounded by pastels, florals and butterflies, seniors dressed their best, ready to spend the afternoon with women from the community who shared insight and life experience.

The annual tea dates back decades. It was originally hosted by multiple women’s clubs in Donora and Monongahela before consolidating under the Monongahela Women’s Club following the opening of Ringgold High School in 1979. Today, the club continues the tradition, funding the event through its annual cranberry jalapeno jelly fundraiser so seniors can attend at no cost.

Monongahela Women’s Club President Amie Ludwick served as emcee, while Vice President Olivia DeRose Behanna, a 2018 Ringgold graduate, delivered a keynote address that resonated throughout the room.

“You don’t have to have it all figured out,” Behanna said. “I literally left high school with the idea that I was going to be a dentist.”

Behanna, a licensed funeral director at Frye Funeral Home in Monongahela and a licensed funeral supervisor at Melenyzer Funeral Homes and Cremation Services in Roscoe, shared her uncertain path after graduation, describing a journey that included changing schools, shifting plans and ultimately following a calling she once questioned.

“When I was a senior, I had no idea where my future was truly headed,” she said. “You are allowed to change your mind at any point in the process. I know full grown adults that are still ‘figuring it out’ and that is OK.”

Her message urged students to define success on their own terms and not feel boxed in by expectations.

“You have to do what makes you happy,” she said. “Happy and successful look different for everyone.”

Drawing from her work in the funeral profession, Behanna emphasized that how a person lives matters more than what they achieve.

“I write obituaries as part of my job, and people are remembered for who they were,” she said. “People will always remember the type of person you were, so be a good one.”

She encouraged students to focus less on resumes and more on character, reminding them that life rarely follows a straight path.

“It’s not what you do, it’s who you are,” Behanna said. “When you walk into a room, people aren’t going to be whispering about your GPA or your degrees. They’re going to focus on how you carry yourself and how you treat other people.”

Behanna also serves on the Monongahela Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the Southwestern Funeral Directors Association and the General Board at Monongahela Cemetery. She is vice president of the Monongahela Women’s Club, co-author of “The Person in the Chair: Becoming Your Authentic Self” and writes at www.oliviabehanna. com.

Also in attendance were Ringgold administrators Kelly Thompson and Lauren DelBiondo, along with senior class president Izzy Hooper, representing the Class of 2026.

For Behanna, the message came down to a simple image — one she hoped will stay with students long after the luncheon ended.

“It (an obituary) always includes your name, your birth date and your death date,” she said. “And in between those dates is a little dash. The dash represents the entirety of the life you lived. So at the end of the day — at the end of our life, the most important thing is figuring out what makes us happy and how we can make the world a better place with that little dash we’re given.”

The luncheon was supported by CFSBank Monongahela, represented by Brooke Doleno and Jessica Smith, which provided a balloon arch, photo area and floral table decor. Additional contributions included cupcakes from Honey Bee Bakery, catering by J & D Fork & Spoon and use of the venue by Mon Valley Country Club.

The Monongahela Women’s Club meets at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at First Presbyterian Church in Monongahela. Membership dues are required, with options for community supporters.

Anyone interested in joining or learning more can email monongahelawomansclub@ gmail.com or reach out through the club’s Facebook page. Women of all ages and backgrounds are encouraged to join.