Our Work

Every Student Has a Story: Looking Back at the Voices That Inspired Our Galas

Every year at the Annual Building Minds Scholarship Fund Gala, there is a moment when the room grows still.

A student steps up to the podium.
The spotlight shifts.
And suddenly, we are reminded why this night matters.

This year’s Gala theme — “Every Student Has a Story” — celebrates the journeys made possible through your generosity. As we prepare to gather once again, we are looking back at some of the incredible students who have taken the stage before — students like Chas, whose story continues to unfold in powerful ways.

Because when you support the Catholic Schools Foundation, you are not just funding scholarships.
You are shaping futures.

When Chas took the stage as the 2014 CSF Gala speaker, sharing a deeply personal story in front of a room full of supporters was no small thing.

“I’m a very quiet and private person,” Chas reflected recently. “It was daunting.”

And yet, that moment became part of a journey that continues to shape not only Chas’s life, but the lives of countless students now looking to her as a mentor, leader, and example of what is possible.

More than a decade later, Chas’s story is a powerful reminder of this year’s Gala theme: Every Student Has a Story. With the support of CSF donors, that story can become one of opportunity, healing, and hope.

Raised in Lawrence and a graduate of Central Catholic High School, Class of 2014, Chas says attending Central helped change the way she saw herself and her future.

At Central, she found more than a school. She found people who believed in her.

“There was a lot going on in my life,” Chas shared. “CSF and Central helped keep me grounded. They believed in me. It wasn’t just, ‘You can do this, good luck.’ It was, ‘You can do this, and we will help you through it.’”

That support made all the difference.

After graduating from Central Catholic, Chas attended Western New England University, where she studied sociology with a concentration in crime and society, along with a minor in marketing. In college, she threw herself into campus life with the same determination she had carried through high school. She served as a peer advisor, welcomed prospective students as an open house associate, led her campus GSA, participated in alternative break programs, and stayed connected to service opportunities back home.

“I never thought I would be there,” Chas said of college. “So once I was there, I felt like I needed to take advantage of everything.”

That mindset led her toward a career in higher education. Chas went on to earn a master’s degree in student affairs from Eastern Illinois University, an experience that took her far from New England and broadened her understanding of the world. Today, she works in residence life and student housing at the University of Vermont, where she oversees an area of approximately 1,000 students, supervises 20 resident advisors, and leads professional staff.

At the heart of her work is a simple but profound belief: students need safe places to belong in order to thrive.

“I help create environments where students can feel safe and able to learn,” Chas said. “For some students, campus becomes home. I know how important that can be.”

That understanding is especially meaningful for students who come from challenging home lives, low-income backgrounds, or who are the first in their families to navigate college. Chas sees herself in many of them.

One student in particular, who shared similar family struggles and cultural identity, turned to Chas because she recognized in her someone who would understand. As a first-generation student and a professional whose life experience differs from many of her peers, Chas has become a trusted source of guidance for students who are trying to balance where they come from with where they hope to go.

“I’ve become a safe person for them,” she said. “Someone who can say, ‘I get it. There’s a way out. You can build a happy life. You can be impactful.’”

That is the ripple effect of donor support.

The scholarships Chas received through CSF did not just help fund a high school education. They helped open doors to college, leadership, and a lifelong commitment to service. After speaking at the 2014 CSF Gala, Chas also gained additional opportunities, including a summer internship that offered valuable professional experience and helped shape her understanding of what was possible beyond graduation.

Looking back, Chas sees her Gala speech not only as a moment of giving back, but as a moment of personal transformation.

“I was given so much,” she said. “If this small thing could help others, why not? It was cathartic, too — being able to say, ‘I’m still here. I’m okay. I’m going to be successful.’”

Today, Chas continues to carry that message forward.

In addition to mentoring students one-on-one, she helps train resident advisors with a focus on belonging, mattering, and creating communities where every student feels seen. Her openness about her own experiences has made her a stronger educator and a more relatable leader.

And she is not done yet.

Chas’s next goal is to pursue a doctorate, with the hope of one day serving as a Dean or Vice President for Student Affairs.

“I have big goals and aspirations,” she said. “None of it would have been possible without the opportunities I was given.”

When asked what she would say to today’s CSF scholars, Chas’s advice is both practical and heartfelt:

Take a moment to breathe it in.
Get involved.
Do the scary things.
You belong there.

She also has a message for the donors who helped make her journey possible:

“The amount of gratitude I have for their willingness to give, I can’t fully express it in words. It has helped me not only heal from what I’ve experienced, but become a better person. And now, it’s put me in a position to provide for others.”

That is the power of CSF.

A donor may never fully know the reach of their generosity. They may never know every name, every struggle, or every milestone their support helped make possible. But stories like Chas’s remind us that their impact is real, lasting, and deeply human.

Because of donor support, a student from Lawrence found a path forward.

Because of donor support, that student became a leader.

And because of donor support, students today can look at someone like Chas and see not just success — but hope.