Alana R. ‘28, the first recipient of the Mother McAuley Legacy Scholarship, says she and her mother both started crying when they first received the call with the news. “I wanted a scholarship really bad,” Alana says. “St. Catharine's has been my dream high school since 4th grade.”
Explaining that her family lives in the neighborhood, Alana says she always pointed to SCA when they were walking by and “told my parents I am going to go to that high school.”
The Mother McAuley Legacy Scholarship required a written essay about Mother McAuley as part of the application process. Alana says, “From what I researched, Mother McAuley seemed like a driven woman. She knew how to understand people. She tried to help everyone and make sure they felt seen and heard. I wanted to make sure my essay was personal and heartfelt.”
An eighth grader at St. Francis Xavier/St. Clare Elementary School, Alana plays volleyball and is in the drama club. She hopes to try new clubs at St. Catharine’s and explore opportunities for her future.
Alana will be joining her sister at St. Catharine’s next year. She says she is grateful for the scholarship because she hopes it will take some weight off her parents. “They work really hard for my sister and me to go to school. Hopefully this will make it easier for them.”
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