For Hedwig “Hedy” Sanni, success was never about a single moment — it was a lifetime of learning, adapting, and seizing opportunities.
Sanni, who was a 1959 graduate of Lynn Classical High School, recently celebrated her 65th reunion.
She was also recently featured on History of Success, a television program airing on Lynn Community Television (LCTV) and produced by Dr. Judith Josephs. Created in 2019, the show highlights the career paths of local leaders and the community resources they help shape.
“The reunion itself was a meaningful experience. I was just so happy to be in a place with as few people as it was because so many, many of my classmates are no longer with us,” she said.
“My mother had to go to work, so she convinced the administration at St. Michael’s to let me start school early,” Sanni explained. “That allowed me to graduate at 16.”
According to Sanni, the transition from Catholic school to Lynn Classical High School was a defining moment. “The nuns were very strict,” she recalled. “We learned a lot, and in some ways, I think we were ahead of many of our peers when we entered public school.”
At Classical, she encountered a larger, more diverse environment with greater independence. “It was a much wider world,” she said. “I was able to join clubs, participate in dances, and explore my creative side more than I had in Catholic school.”
She quickly became involved in school activities — cheerleading, theater productions, and art projects. However, unlike many of her classmates who were preparing for college, Sanni chose the business track.
“I wanted to work,” she said. “ Raised by her parents with this mindset — “get a good job, work hard, and support a family.”
At age 15, Sanni landed a job at John Hancock Insurance in 1958, arranged through a Polish community leader on the school committee. Growing up in a tight-knit Polish-American household, she valued the community’s support and strong work ethic. “People helped each other whenever they could,” she said.
While working there, she met her soon-to-be husband, Casper Sanni. However, in 1961, company policy prohibiting married couples from working together forced her to leave.
Rather than transferring to Boston, she chose to stay local, finding work at Universal CIT and other financial firms in Lynn while balancing work and family life. For 13 years, Sanni focused on raising her four children, but she never stopped learning. She took night classes in ceramics, writing, and drawing, nurturing her creative interests while managing a busy household.
Encouraged by her husband, who worked in job placement services for the City of Lynn, Hedy applied for a position at Tufts University in 1982. What began as a job quickly turned into a two-decade career, shaping both her professional and academic pursuits.
“I wasn’t sure about the commute to Medford at first, but my husband said, ‘Of course, you can do it.’ And I did.”
She began as an administrative assistant in the math department, but when the computer science department split off, she moved with them and was promoted to department administrator—a role she held for nearly 20 years.
One of the biggest advantages of working at Tufts was the tuition remission program, which allowed employees to take courses for free.
“The first summer I was there, I thought, ‘Why not take advantage of this?’” she recalled.
She enrolled in one course per semester and two in the summer, gradually earning credits toward a Bachelor’s in Liberal Arts with a concentration in Fine Arts History. Meanwhile, her youngest son, Frank, was attending Tufts full-time, studying psychology.
“We were both working toward our degrees at the same time,” she said. “He was moving quickly, while I could only take a few courses per year. But when I realized we were both on track to graduate the same year, I didn’t make a big deal out of it. I wanted it to be his time to shine. But when we crossed the stage in our caps and gowns on the same day, it was a personal victory for both of us.”
At age 50, she had earned her degree on the same day as her son.
She continued her education, earning a Master’s in Education in 1995 and later a certificate in museum administration. However, after interning at Peabody Essex Museum, she realized museum work wasn’t the right fit.
All four of her children took courses at Tufts, but Frank was the only one to earn a full degree there. Christine transferred after a year at UNH and later became an administrator at Tufts. Paul and Andrea took classes before completing degrees elsewhere. “After five years at Tufts, I got 100% tuition remission for them—not room and board, but tuition,” Sanni said. “We took advantage of the opportunity.”
In addition to her passion for education, Sanni continues finding joy in the arts. “I decided to seriously pursue painting to ease the loss of my husband after a brief but serious illness and to keep my mind busy after I transitioned to part-time work,” she said.
She started by taking a class with Jack Jones in Peabody for two years before joining the Lynnfield Art Guild, where she connected with other local artists. She later continued her artistic development through a watercolor group at the Lynnfield Senior Center, where she now learns under the mentorship of local artist Bill Deveney.
“We have shows twice a year, and I help with preparations, putting together booklets and administrative work,” she said. “One of the shows is a juried exhibition. Many of us also enter the International Peabody Art Show and display our works in banks and libraries. I’ve sold paintings that way.”
Her watercolor paintings, which include landscapes and architectural studies, have been displayed in exhibitions and local venues, each piece reflecting her careful attention to composition and light..
Now an active member of the Lynnfield Art Guild, she continues to contribute to her community through her creativity and passion for lifelong learning.
