Alumna Finds Success Through Service, Leadership and Lifelong Connections

For alumna Christine Edney ’96, the lessons she learned at Marian continue to shape both her personal and professional life more than three decades after graduation. Today, Christine is a successful residential realtor in Kansas City, where she has built a business centered on service, integrity and meaningful relationships. While her career has taken her far beyond the halls of Marian, she says the confidence and values she gained as a student remain at the core of everything she does.

“The Marian experience has fueled so much of how I operate,” she said. “The confidence, the work ethic and the understanding that women belong at the table, it all started there.”

After graduating from college with a journalism degree, Christine spent several years working in newspapers before frequent relocations with her husband’s career prompted her to consider a new path. As she balanced raising three children and adapting to new cities, she began exploring opportunities that would allow her to use her communication, marketing and relationship-building skills while offering greater flexibility for her family. That search led her to real estate.

Rather than being discouraged by entering the profession during a challenging housing market, Christine embraced the challenge, believing that learning how to build a business during difficult times would make future success even more attainable when conditions improved.

Over the years, she has built a thriving career helping individuals and families navigate one of the most significant decisions of their lives. To her, real estate is about much more than buying and selling homes.

That focus on relationships has become one of the hallmarks of her career. Many of her clients become close friends, and referrals continue to be the foundation of her business. One of her proudest professional moments was when a family on the opposite side of a particularly difficult transaction later referred their son to her. It was the highest compliment to be wanted as their agent and later trusted to help their family.

Christine credits much of her approach to leadership and collaboration to her time at Marian. She remembers a school culture that encouraged young women to challenge themselves. She recalls Marian as a place that encouraged students to challenge themselves, participate fully and strive to become the best version of themselves. Through activities like Mock Trial under longtime teacher Tom Baker, she developed communication and critical-thinking skills that continue to serve her today.

She also fondly remembers traditions such as Field Day, Freshman Retreat and Surprise Day. Field Day, in particular, taught her the value of teamwork and the importance of bringing together different talents and strengths to achieve a common goal—a  lesson that continues to influence her personal and professional life.

Christine believes one of Marian’s greatest strengths is its ability to empower young women to confidently pursue their goals. She credits the school with helping students develop the confidence to advocate for themselves, embrace leadership opportunities and recognize their own potential. Marian graduates enter the world understanding they have earned a place at the table and are capable of making meaningful contributions in their careers and communities.

That spirit of empowerment remains evident in her own work. In addition to helping families find homes, she has created a growing network of women in Kansas City who gather regularly for professional development, social events and mutual support. What began as a small group of clients has evolved into a thriving community of women from diverse backgrounds who encourage one another, share opportunities and celebrate each other's successes. The experience reminds Edney of the supportive, collaborative environment she experienced at Marian.

Her connection to Marian extends beyond her own student experience. Christine’s family has longstanding ties to the Servants of Mary, including two great-aunts: Sr. Rosaria Edney, OSM and Sr. Carmelita Edney, OSM who were members of the order. Some of her earliest memories involve spending time at the convent, attending Mass and celebrating holidays alongside the sisters. Those experiences gave her a deep appreciation for the Servants of Mary and the role they played in shaping Marian’s identity, mission and values.

As Marian continues to celebrate its history while preparing students for the future, Christine believes the school's greatest legacy remains the women it sends into the world. She sees Marian graduates as women who leave with confidence, faith, integrity and a strong moral compass, while also gaining a lifelong network of alumnae who continue to encourage, inspire and support one another long after graduation.

For Christine, that enduring sisterhood is what makes the Marian experience so special and why, more than 30 years later, she remains proud to call herself a Marian girl.