Joyce (Latvis) Arel ‘60 | Nursing major
It is imperative that throughout life we embrace the interconnectedness of all humanity.
After leaving the Hilltop, Joyce (Latvis) Arel ’60 embarked on a remarkable six-decade career in nursing, education, and community leadership. She served as a hospital nurse, nurse educator, and later as a dedicated member of the Board of Directors of a major New Hampshire hospital. Her exemplary service has been recognized through numerous honors, including being named one of New Hampshire’s Outstanding Young Women and Outstanding Hospital Board Member by the New Hampshire Hospital Association. Arel’s unwavering dedication to her profession, her community, and her family earned her the 2025 Career Achievement Award.
Arel was inspired to pursue higher education by her parents, Doris and Joseph.
Despite the challenges they faced during nationwide economic crises and World War II, they prevailed to achieve success while providing Arel the opportunity for love and growth through learning.
As an undergraduate student, Arel felt that many professors added depth, structure, and understanding to not only the subject matter but to life. Former Philosophy Professor Joseph MacDonald was someone who encouraged discernment in the classroom and thought through the process of syllogisms. Professor MacDonald also served as a campus custodian, cleaning floors and maintaining facilities, which Arel viewed as a true lesson in humility and service, living his philosophy. The Nursing major also felt incredibly inspired by the late Biology Professor Barbara Stahl, who Arel claims had an enormous impact on her clarity of presentation and personal life. Professor Stahl balanced her academic expertise with marriage and parenting, which Arel admired as a very powerful and decidedly less common achievement in the 1950s.
After leaving Saint Anselm, Arel’s knowledge became the foundation for her future moving forward. From her first postgraduate job in the emergency room at Jamaica Hospital Medical Center in New York City to serving as board chair of a Catholic New England healthcare system, Arel relied on the values, experiences, and gifts she gained from her Anselmian education. As board chair, Arel had the unique chance to visit the dicastery in Rome, meet Pope John Paul II, and see a Benedictine monastery (Abbey of Montecassino), which sat high in the hills surrounding Rome. On that visit, she was also able to see the monastery where Saint Francis spent time in reflection. His message of being a channel of peace still resonates with her to this day.
Six decades later, Arel recalls fond, moving memories from the Hilltop. As a junior nursing student, Arel was invited by the late Father Michael Custer, O.S.B., to accompany him on a home visit to a seriously ill Saint Anselm employee. On that trip, Fr. Michael bestowed the Blessing of Saint Maurus (prayer for healing) on the ailing individual. Their health eventually returned and they went on to ensue many more years of service at Saint Anselm. Fr. Michael additionally bestowed his blessing on Arel and her husband’s engagement in the old chapel.
“It is imperative that throughout life we embrace the interconnectedness of all humanity,” says Arel. Her dedication to her profession, community, and family resulted in being presented the 2025 Career Achievement Award at the College’s annual Alumni Awards. “On behalf of all who have benefitted from the amazing education provided by the professors at Saint Anselm and the Benedictine experience, I humbly accept this award.”
Adapted from Joyce (Latvis) Arel’s Alumni Award acceptance speech and 2025 Alumni Award citations.