Sister Jean Is Vaccinated - And Ready For Friday's NCAA Tournament Game

By Kelly Fisher

March 16, 2021

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt is vaccinated — and she’s ready for the NCAA tournament.

Sister Jean, 101, is the chaplain who rose to “international celebrity” status during the 2018 season, but she hasn’t been to any games in person this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Now that she’s vaccinated, Sister Jean will be there when the Loyola University Chicago Ramblers face off against Georgia Tech. The NCAA tournament game is slated for Friday (March 19) in Indianapolis, Indiana, ESPN reported in a story published Tuesday (March 16).

Sister Jean has become a staple to Loyola-Chicago, even by simply saying “good morning” to everyone she meets on campus, according to an article from the university marking her 100th birthday.

“That's being a person for others by just being yourself,” Sister Jean said at that time. “That's the way I am. I have to be myself. I tell students that — you'll see people that you admire, you can do some of the things they do, but you have to be yourself. God made you the person who you are.” 

Sister Jean began working at Mundelein College in 1961. Three decades later, when Mundelein became affiliated with Loyola, Sister Jean transferred. She began serving as chaplain in 1994, the Loyola-Chicago article states.

She added to the university that aside from basketball, she also enjoys interacting with college students:

“That's because I love working with these young people,” Sister Jean said in the article. “I think that's what kept my heart young — not my body young — but kept my heart young all these years.” 

Photo: Getty Images

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