Our Work

A Cardinal Spellman senior, FBLA national competitor, and CSF Scholar who is making the most of every opportunity your generosity provides.

When Liam Bouquet walked into the Future Business Leaders of America National Leadership Conference in San Antonio this summer, he was surrounded by the top business students in the country. A year earlier, he had never even taken an accounting class.

Today, Liam is a rising senior at Cardinal Spellman High School, a Catholic Schools Foundation Scholar, and one of the newest members of a national community of young business leaders. His story is a powerful reminder of what happens when a motivated student meets a community of donors willing to invest in him.

Liam began his education at Foxborough Regional Charter School before transferring to Trinity Catholic Academy, where he first experienced the rigor of a Catholic education. "Trinity Catholic put a very high standard on me," he recalls. "It forced me to get out of my comfort zone and really showed me how to step it up as a student."

That preparation carried him to Cardinal Spellman, where he found something more than academics. "Everybody there is like a family," Liam says. "The teachers are great, but the whole school itself is just a family."

As a junior, Liam signed up for an accounting elective simply because he wanted to understand how to manage his own money someday. Around the same time, Cardinal Spellman launched its first FBLA chapter, and Liam decided to join with a few friends. "At our first meeting, we were all just learning how to figure something out together," he laughs.

When his principal announced that students could take a qualifying exam for the state and national competitions, Liam had two weeks to prepare. He went straight to his accounting teacher, who loaded him up with study materials, and he got to work. The result surprised even him: he placed 3rd in the state of Massachusetts in accounting, and qualified for the national Accounting event, earning a spot at the FBLA National Leadership Conference in San Antonio. “The most challenging part of competing against the nation's best was that everyone was prepared. It motivated me to stay focused and perform under pressure.”

Representing his school on a national platform was not something Liam took lightly. "Cardinal Spellman isn't a very large school, so I was very proud to represent the school and showcase what talents our students are capable of." He credits his principal, Ms. Graham, and his accounting teacher, Ms. Molloy, for guiding him every step of the way.

Liam's senior year schedule reflects his ambition: AP Business, Accounting II Honors, AP European History, and AP Literature. He also serves as a House Browne Mentor Leader, a role he sees as a responsibility to the students coming up behind him. "I have to be someone younger students can look up to and talk to whenever they need someone," he says. His advice to incoming freshmen is simple: "Get involved quickly, and don't be afraid to ask for help."

Off campus, Liam plays basketball and spends time volunteering through his parish, where he and his cousin recently helped serve meals to neighbors experiencing homelessness. "Everybody treated me with so much kindness at Spellman," he reflects. "I feel like I now have to repay that kindness to whoever I can."

Liam first came across the Catholic Schools Foundation while searching for scholarships to make a Catholic education possible. When the award came through, his parents were over the moon, and the scholarship became a source of motivation that has stayed with him ever since. “Being a CSF Scholar motivated me to stay on track. It shows me that all the work I'm putting in academically is working, and I can't let up.”

Now Liam has his sights set on college, with the University of Connecticut at the top of a list that includes Boston College, Brown, Northeastern, and Providence. He plans to study business and accounting, gain internship experience, and one day launch a business of his own.

When asked what he would say to the donors who made his Catholic education possible, Liam didn't hesitate. “Thank you. Thank you so much for giving me this opportunity, and I'm not going to let it go to waste.”

Every CSF scholarship is an investment in a student like Liam: hardworking, grateful, and ready to lead. Because of you, he isn't just dreaming about his future in business. He's already competing on the national stage.

Want to help create more stories like Liam ?

Your support makes stories like Liam’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.