Andrea Urzua, an Aim Higher elementary Catholic school scholarship recipient who is now a junior at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, told a record 640 people at the organization’s 11th annual “Night of Light” gala that their support makes a difference in the lives of many Catholic elementary school students — including her.

“I’m here to tell my story and how you all, by supporting the Aim Higher Foundation, helped me,” she said. After entering fourth grade, she was bullied in school, Urzua said. Her family unsuccessfully sought help from school leaders and “that is when Shakopee Area Catholic Schools (SACS) joined the picture,” she said.

Seeking another school and advised by fellow Catholics, her parents learned about the school in Shakopee but found tuition to be an obstacle, Urzua said. “However, my parents were told about the Aim Higher scholarship, which would enable me to attend my local Catholic school,” she said. “If I had not gone to SACS, I don’t think I would be same person I am today.”

Most recently, after interning at a large accounting firm, Urzua said she signed a job offer at the same firm and plans to start full time in 2025.

“Overall, with the help of my family, school and friends at the Aim Higher Foundation, I was able to grow in my education, my friendships, my faith, and most importantly, my sense of self, to become the person I am today,” she said.

Before Urzua spoke, Ricky Austin, president of the St. Paul-based foundation, stated Aim Higher’s purpose and focus: “Aim Higher does one thing,” he said. “We offer $1,000 scholarships so students can go to a Catholic school.”

That same amount is granted to qualifying students until they graduate from eighth grade, Austin said, and it takes a large community of supporters to make that happen. With 200 more people at the dinner in Minneapolis than any year before, “I think it’s safe to say the outlook of our future is bright,” he said.

By Nov. 3, the foundation estimated more than $850,000 was raised at the event; officials said the tally was continuing.

During remarks at the beginning of the evening, Archbishop Bernard Hebda said Aim Higher’s ability to help families is “empowering parents, opening doors and transforming their lives.”

In the 2022-2023 academic year, Aim Higher provided scholarships to 2,152 students at 82 Catholic elementary schools in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, foundation officials said. More than 550 of those students attend the archdiocese’s 10 Drexel Mission Schools, which serve the highest concentration of children and families who could benefit from additional resources. Since its founding in 2011, Aim Higher has awarded more than 16,000 scholarships totaling more than $15 million, the foundation said.

Jason Slattery, director of Catholic education for the archdiocese, said the event was marked by inspiring stories of hope and reminders of “the urgent need to help families overcome obstacles in providing their children a Catholic education.”

“We are grateful for our partnership with the Aim Higher Foundation to provide students access to Catholic schools,” Slattery said, as well as the support of many people in the archdiocese committed to “helping families find their way into a Catholic school classroom.”