SXU Alumna Dedicates Life to Supporting Families
Saint Xavier University (SXU) alumna Patricia Brady '74, Ph.D., has dedicated her life to supporting families. Since she was young, Brady knew she could make a positive difference in the lives of others. She set out to make the world a better place, and her 47 years of professional experience have left a lasting impact on many.
Brady, who was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, was raised with 13 siblings and working parents. Though she had seven academic scholarships around the country, she set her sights on Saint Xavier, knowing that the small institution on the South Side of Chicago was one of few schools at the time who welcomed and embraced diverse students.
With curiosity in her nature, Brady chose to study psychology for her undergraduate career.
"I wanted to know why people do what they do and how they become who they are. I was interested in discovering individual outcomes. With my knowledge, I hoped to use my psychology background to make the world a better place – and I've made a significant impact on under-resourced parents and children of color across the country," said Brady.
Brady's time at Saint Xavier was enriching. She enjoyed her psychology classroom discussions and fondly remembers a time she read something she disagreed with in one of her textbooks and challenged the class with a question.
"One of our psychology textbooks indicated that if you come from a large minority family, you are probably culturally deficient. I am from a large family and there was nothing culturally deficient about us. I had a working dad and a stay-at-home mother who sewed our clothes, cooked fabulous meals, and kept the family together. I knew then how important it was to raise questions and start conversations," said Brady.
Brady served as a resident assistant while at SXU and enjoyed going on retreats each summer, where she supported and interacted with students. She's grateful for the time she had at Saint Xavier and especially for the ability to speak freely and hold conversations about racial diversity. She made a significant impact at the University, leading others in having conversations about how to support families of color.
"Most of the faculty were nuns at the time, and they were kind and nurturing and understood the need to have uncomfortable conversations. I taught them that the more we talk about it, the better we can provide needed resources and make things better. I truly got my start at Saint Xavier – what an impact!" said Brady.
After graduating from Saint Xavier, Brady was on par to travel to New York to become a runway model, but after getting married to her husband, Arnell Brady '82, a speech-language pathologist and fellow Saint Xavier alum, Brady decided to pursue becoming a social worker. She began volunteering at Michael Reese Hospital in Chicago, where she interacted with teen parents. She became intrigued by infant development from those born to teen parents, which kickstarted the beginning of her career in working with families.
In 1979, she began working at the University of Chicago in the infant development program, spending time with parents whose newborns were in the ICU. After giving birth to two premature infants and experiencing tragic loss, Brady found she could relate to and support the distressed parents in the ICU. For 13 years, she worked as a developmental specialist. She also worked at La Rabida Children's Hospital in the behavioral science department, where she supported infants from zero to three who were abused and neglected.
"I made it my goal to impact the policies and programs and support families and infants. I learned from an incredible mentor and continued to flourish myself, eventually working on a nationally known pilot called the Beethoven Project, which aimed to bring learning programs, home visiting and more to families on Chicago's South Side. My work was so impactful that I began to get observed while working with families – I was one of the few professionals who would do anything in my power to see them, even walk up 18 flights of stairs when an elevator was broken, and those families wanted to see me just as much," said Brady.
Brady pursued a master's degree and doctorate from the Erikson Institute. In 1990, she became a national zero to three fellow, and to this day, she continues to contribute to deciding who will become fellows. In 1998, she became a national trainer for Healthy Families America.
Having served in a leadership position on the Dean's Council at Saint Xavier as a student, Brady returned years later to serve as an adjunct professor, a role she held for 17 years.
"I would always have at least 10 students on my waitlist. I made certain every student got the most out of my classes. We talked about some tough issues – those 17 years were some of the best years I've ever had," said Brady.
Despite a full roster of academic and professional accolades, Brady is most proud of the family she and her husband built. Understanding firsthand the value of investing in parenting, Brady raised three amazing children and has five grandchildren.
Brady is currently working on a parenting book, and she looks forward to sharing the wealth of knowledge she's accumulated over her nearly 50 years of working with families. When it's completed, she hopes to come back to Saint Xavier as a visiting scholar.
Brady truly comes from an SXU legacy family! Her sister-in-law, Karolynn Mitchell '75, introduced her to her future husband, Arnell Brady '82, in December of Patricia's senior year. They married one week after graduation and will celebrate 50 years of marriage June 1. Arnell Brady is one of the few African American professionals in the country to own his own private practice as a speech-language pathologist. He's opened up two clinics in Africa and mentors interns from all over the country, and he is one of the few fellows in Chicago to receive a lifetime award from the American Speech and Language Association. Brady's younger sister, Olga Young '95, is the first African American CFO in 100 years at Baylor Scott & White Health in Texas.