Alumni Spotlight: Meet the Pientons

We recently caught up with St. Francis de Sales High School alumni Chris Pienton, ’80, and Paula (Cholipski) Pienton, ’81. After graduation, Chris studied architecture at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees. Over the past 35 years he has worked as an architect and construction manager.

Paula also attended the University of Illinois, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in civil engineering. After more than 25 years working as vice president for various companies in the transportation engineering industry, four months ago she was named Chief Engineer, Bridges and Structures, for the Canadian National Railroad. The Pientons live on the North Side of Chicago and have two grown daughters.

You were only a year apart in high school, but you didn’t get to know each other until after Chris had graduated. How did your paths cross?

Chris: We both attended summer school at Triton Community College. Paula was the last one to arrive at our first class, and the only seat open was the one next to me. After that, I gave her rides to class in my dad’s puke green Buick LeSabre. 

Paula: I got to the first class late because I had a summer job. I didn’t want to sit next to Chris because I thought it might be awkward since we were from the same high school but didn’t really know each other. Here we are 35 years later, still married, so I suppose it worked out!

Chris: Paula will tell you I lied during our courtship...

Paula: He did! He promised me that he was going to make a lot of money and die young.

How do you remember your high school experience at St. Francis de Sales?

Chris: I was the youngest of three children, and both my brother and sister went to de Sales, so it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that I would do the same. I wanted to play football and had delusions that I was a pretty decent athlete, so I entered with the perspective of a student athlete. Then I hurt my knees and couldn’t play sports, so I shifted my focus to academics.

Paula: I was busy! I was in several clubs, played volleyball and softball, went on a lot of ski trips, and was class president one year. I also received the Fr. Krueger Leadership Award. 

Which teachers stand out in your memory?

Chris: Don Saturnus, my English teacher, was one of my favorite teachers. He taught me rhetoric, and as an upperclassman I would hang out between classes and talk with him about literature and life. 

Paula: B.J. Nelson was our yearbook advisor. We finished the yearbook in record time the year I was in charge, but I think he said he would never have another female editor after me! Ms. Duetmeyer also stands out in my mind. She taught geometry, my favorite subject ever. The discipline and logic of geometry are transformative and can be applied to all aspects of life.

When did you know what you wanted to pursue as a career?

Chris: I wanted to be an architect from the time I was five years old—the best Christmas gift I ever got was Playskool blocks! Building is something that has always interested me. 

Paula: I had a grade school teacher who used to build model bridges and place them all over his classroom, so I can probably attribute my initial interest in bridges to that. I left college wanting to be a bridge engineer, and when I later had the opportunity to work for Metra doing both design and construction, I found that I loved working in rail and transit. I believe that transportation is a real game changer for people. I worked downtown at Marshall Fields on State Street when I was 16 because I was able to take the bus or ‘L’ there. Having access to transportation can open a whole new world for people. 

What do you enjoy most about your work right now?

Chris: I’m at a point in my career where I know I’m not going to change the world, but I want to do whatever I’m doing to the best of my ability. It’s time to give back and help those who are coming after me, so my goal is to pass on what I’ve learned.

Paula: I thought I was going to retire from my previous job, where I was an executive at an international infrastructure consulting firm. Then last fall I received a call from CN, the Canadian National Railroad. Initially I wasn’t interested, but the weekend Ruth Bader Ginsberg passed I looked at the position and talked to our daughters, and I decided to open the conversation. I’m the first female to hold a chief bridge engineer position at a Class 1 Railroad. CN is committed to diversity and inclusion, so it’s exciting for me to be a part of their cultural shift. 

Any final thoughts as you think back on your high school days?

Paula: I think we should all be proud and celebrate where we came from. That’s why Chris and I give back to the school; hopefully we can make a difference to keep it there for others. We were both raised on the East Side, so it’s not like we grew up in a prestigious neighborhood where we got a head start. I think our success says a lot about the foundation we received at de Sales.