Our Work

When William first received a Catholic Schools Foundation scholarship in third grade, he was too young to fully understand what it meant. His family, however, understood immediately.

“Relief and gratitude” are the words William now uses to describe the impact of that support.

Years later, William can see that the scholarship provided much more than financial assistance. It gave him access to an education and school community that helped shape his discipline, values, confidence, and commitment to serving others.

Today, William is a clinical research coordinator at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, where he helps lead pediatric research studies, including one focused on preserving fertility for children who have recently been diagnosed with cancer. He is also a member of CSF’s Young Leaders Committee, helping create opportunities for the next generation of students.

His journey offers donors a powerful example of what can happen when someone chooses to believe in a student they may never meet.

William attended St. Catherine of Genoa School in Somerville, now operating under a new name, before continuing to St. Joseph Preparatory High School. He graduated from high school in 2020, during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Instead of the traditional senior-year milestones he had anticipated, William finished his classes remotely and celebrated graduation in a parking lot. A few months later, he began his first year at UMass Lowell almost entirely online.

The experience was difficult, but it helped develop a sense of perspective and resilience that would serve him throughout college.

“Once I got through that first year, I felt like I could complete whatever came next,” he said.

William earned his bachelor’s degree in biology from UMass Lowell in 2024. He originally planned to attend medical school, but after participating in a summer program that simulated the medical school experience, he began reconsidering what path would be the right fit.

That willingness to adapt ultimately led him to clinical research.

As a clinical research coordinator at Dana-Farber, William has found a career that brings together many of the things he values most: science, patient interaction, service, leadership, and the opportunity to contribute to a larger purpose.

His work allows him to support patients directly while also helping advance research that may improve care for families in the future.

“It is both boots on the ground and the bigger picture,” William explained.

After nearly two years in his role, William has taken on increasing responsibility and now serves as a lead coordinator on several studies. One of the projects he is most proud of focuses on fertility preservation for pediatric cancer patients.

The work is an expression of an aspiration he has carried since middle school: to help people while taking responsibility for leading meaningful efforts.

Looking back, William believes his Catholic education prepared him for college, his career, and the responsibilities he has taken on as an adult.

In elementary school, daily routines such as morning prayer, prayer before meals, and religion classes helped establish consistency and discipline. Over time, those practices became part of a broader understanding that worthwhile commitments require effort, even when the work is difficult.

In high school, that foundation grew into a deeper commitment to faith, service, and concern for others.

William remembers learning the importance of “being good for the sake of being good” supporting people, volunteering his time, and contributing to something larger than himself.

When he entered a public university, he began to recognize how deeply those lessons had shaped him. He was prepared to accept responsibility, work through challenges, and contribute his time even when there was no immediate benefit to him.

Those qualities continue to guide his work today.

When asked what he would say to the donors who made his education possible, William began with a simple message: thank you.

But his gratitude extends beyond the financial value of the scholarship.

“Thank you specifically for putting your belief in a complete stranger,” he said. “Every scholarship gift represents an act of trust. A donor may not know the student who will receive the support, what challenges that student will face, or where that student’s education will eventually lead.”

In William’s case, that belief helped a third-grade student continue in a nurturing Catholic school environment. It later supported a young man as he developed the discipline to complete college during an unprecedented period of disruption. Today, its impact can be seen in his leadership at one of the nation’s leading cancer centers and in his desire to serve future CSF Scholars.

“Thank you for enabling me to have that opportunity,” William said, “and for helping shape me into the person I am today.”

William’s connection to CSF did not end when he graduated from high school.

As a member of the Young Leaders Committee, he now helps advance the same mission that once supported him. He describes the experience as moving from being a recipient or, as he puts it, a “bystander” to becoming an active participant in shaping someone else’s experience.

“I am now in a position where I can influence another person’s experience with CSF,” he said. “That means a lot to me.”

William hopes Young Leaders will have more opportunities to meet current scholarship recipients, particularly younger students. He believes those interactions would allow alumni and volunteers to see where they once were while giving students a glimpse of where their education could take them.

For William, that connection would offer hope in both directions.

His message to current CSF students and families is one he has learned through his own experience:

“Regardless of how difficult things seem, there is always somebody out there willing to help. Sometimes they may be difficult to find, but that person exists.”

William’s story is still unfolding.

Alongside his work at Dana-Farber, he has begun exploring entrepreneurship through a developing events business that connects local performers with restaurants and gathering spaces. The concept reflects another growing passion: bringing people together in an increasingly disconnected world.

Although the venture is unrelated to the biology degree he earned, William sees value in following new interests and remaining open to unexpected opportunities.

“You are not limited to the field you studied,” he said.

Whether he is coordinating pediatric cancer research, organizing community events, mentoring his younger sister, or volunteering through CSF, William continues to apply the values his Catholic education helped instill: discipline, leadership, service, resilience, and care for others.

His journey started with a donor who believed that investing in a young student would make a difference. Today, William is living proof that it has.

Want to help create more stories like William?

Your support makes stories like William’s possible. By investing in a CSF scholarship, you are giving a student access to an education that can shape a lifetime and empowering that student to one day create opportunities for others. Donate today to invest in the future of young scholars and ensure more students have the same opportunities to thrive, grow, and give back.