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From Scholar to Steward: How Your Support Taught Jackie the True Value of Opportunity

In 2012, a 14-year-old girl from Melrose opened her Arlington Catholic acceptance letter and saw something that would change the trajectory of her life: a Catholic Schools Foundation scholarship.

At the time, she didn’t fully understand what it meant.

“I remember seeing the tuition breakdown and realizing, this makes it possible. My mom was raising us on her own. I knew school was expensive. When I saw the CSF scholarship, it felt like relief.”

That relief wasn’t abstract. From pre-K through 8th grade at St. Mary’s in Melrose, she saw her parents work tirelessly to prioritize a Catholic education. When her parents divorced just before high school, the dream of attending Arlington Catholic seemed financially out of reach.

Then came the scholarship from CSF. The scholarship didn’t just lower tuition. It removed doubt.

“I remember thinking, thank God. Now my mom can do this.”

Throughout high school, Jackie’s relationship with CSF was defined by quiet moments, writing her annual thank-you letters to donors and attending the annual Mass in Boston with her mother.

"Being the middle child, those Thursday nights in Boston with my mom felt special," she says. "Even though I didn't talk about my scholarship with my friends, being in that cathedral made me feel honored."

Though she didn’t always talk openly about receiving financial aid like many students, she carried a quiet awareness of what it represented she understood something deeper: someone believed in her future.

There was even a moment sophomore year when she got into a bit of trouble at school. The admissions director pulled her aside and assured her that her scholarship wasn’t in jeopardy.

“I remember not wanting to let him down — but also not wanting to let the people supporting me down. People cared enough to invest in me. That mattered.”

That sense of accountability became part of her foundation.

Today, Jackie’s story has come full circle. After interning with CSF during her college years, she now works in Admissions at St. John’s Prep, one of CSF’s partner schools, helping decide which students receive the same life-changing opportunities she did.

The girl who once felt "different" because of her financial need is now a professional advocate for students. She uses her experience to help families navigate the same tuition assistance forms she once watched her mother sign.

“I don’t think I fully understood the full circle until I was sitting in endowment meetings helping assign scholarships. It makes me happy. I know how far this goes for families.”

When decision letters go out, she often receives emails from grateful parents — sometimes even tearful phone calls.

“One mom called crying, thanking us. I started tearing up too — because I was thinking about my own mom.”

Later, she told her mother about the call.

Her mom quietly admitted, “I cried when we got your scholarship too.”

Now, when she reviews applications, she carries that memory with her.

“I always ask myself, how would my mom have felt receiving this? Because for families who don’t know how they’re going to make Catholic education work, this scholarship is a sigh of relief.”

That empathy shapes her leadership.

She often reminds current scholars to take advantage of every opportunity — networking events, mentorship, donor gatherings.

“They don’t realize yet how powerful this is. The doors this can open. The people who want to help them.”

When you give to the Catholic Schools Foundation, you aren’t just "helping a poor kid" you are investing in a future leader. Jackie is living proof that a scholarship does more than pay tuition it builds the confidence a student needs to eventually lead others.

"I know now what it looks like from the other side," Jackie says. "I see the kids who are where I was. Because of the donors who supported me, I can tell these students that this scholarship isn't a label, it's an opportunity to become whoever they want to be."

A CSF scholarship helped her thrive. Now she helps ensure others can do the same.

That is the long-term impact of generosity.

That is proof of investment.

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