27.9 F
Saint Paul
Friday, March 29, 2024

Aim Higher Foundation scholarships help students access ‘life-changing benefits’ of Catholic schools

At the Aim Higher Foundation’s most recent annual fundraiser, its keynote speaker, a college senior named Daniel, described how his Aim Higher scholarship used when he was a student at K-8 Nativity of Mary School in Bloomington “changed the trajectory of his life and his family’s life,” said Laura Hester, director of scholarship programs for the St. Paul-based foundation.  

Now, Daniel, a first-generation college student in his family, is considering a career in “nonprofit management,” Hester said, to continue to give back. Daniel is someone “who may not have had these opportunities without this assistance,” she said. 

Laura Hester

Hester recently joined “Practicing Catholic” radio show host Patrick Conley to discuss the tuition assistance scholarships the foundation provides so that families can access “the life-changing benefits of a Catholic school,” she said. Sometimes the cost “is just too high for many families desiring this incredible education,” she said. 

Every Aim Higher scholarship is $1,000 and awarded to a child and family based solely on financial need, Hester said. And the scholarship “follows the student” year after year. “Once we make a commitment to a family, barring no significant change in their financial circumstances, they’re … able to rely on that … scholarship every year from kindergarten through eighth grade,” Hester said. 

This school year, the foundation is supporting more than 10% of the student population in kindergarten through eighth grade within the archdiocese. That’s more than 2,150 scholarships, Hester said. Over the last 10 years, it has awarded more than 14,000 scholarships worth more than $12.8 million.  

- Advertisement -

The scholarships make an “incredible impact in people’s lives,” Hester said. “We see that graduates of Catholic schools are more civically engaged, more service oriented, more likely to vote, not to mention graduate with an excellent education, second to none.”  

Hester said the foundation’s work is fueled by prayer to help staff “continue to meet the ever-increasing need of our applicant pool,” and by fundraising, relying on the “the kindness (when) people feel so moved to donate.” 

“It’s a gift to be able to offer to families looking for that help,” Hester said.  

To learn more about the foundation and to apply for a scholarship, visit aimhigherfoundation.org. The first “application pool” is open through Feb. 22. To hear more details about the scholarship program and its value to students and families, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which debuts at 9 p.m. Jan. 27 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM and repeats at 1 p.m. Jan. 28 and 2 p.m. Jan. 29.  

Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also includes an interview with Archbishop Bernard Hebda of St. Paul and Minneapolis, who discusses the March for Life in Washington, D.C., Catholic Schools Week and Bishop-elect Izen’s upcoming ordination; and Jason Slattery, director of the archdiocesan Office for the Mission of Catholic Education, who describes a new branding initiative for his office and the value of Catholic schools 

Listen to interviews after they have aired at PracticingCatholicShow.com or choose a streaming platform at https://anchor.fm/practicing-catholic-show 

 


Related Articles

SIGN UP FOR OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -

Trending

- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
12,743FansLike
1,478FollowersFollow
6,479FollowersFollow
35,922FollowersFollow
583SubscribersSubscribe
- Advertisement -