CSF Schools

Shortly after beginning school at Siena, Claudia became heavily involved in the Sociology and Pre-Law Program. She developed a great interest in Society and Law, and hoped to use these tools to help advocate for those who could not advocate for themselves.

Over her 4 years at Siena, Claudia was heavily involved in the Women’s Center, the American Sign Language Club (ASL), and the Stage III, Theatre Club. Through these experiences, she became more aware of women’s issues, global issues and social concerns, and how to combat them. She also studied ASL, the Deaf Community and their Culture, and gained a brand new perspective in society she never would have without joining ASL. By being apart of these clubs, Claudia not only realized her passion for Social Justice, but also how important theatre and arts education is for students.

Claudia was very involved in the theatre group on campus for all 4 years at Siena. She was apart of all different aspects of theatre; on stage and off, which became a very creative and therapeutic outlet for her. By being part of an organization so special to her, Claudia realized how important arts programs are for students. She is working to advocate for them and give back to the arts programs she had been involved in, at AWHS and Siena, in the future. Theatre and creative arts have always been something important to her and she hopes it will always be a constant in her life.

Since graduation from Siena College in May, Claudia has been working full time at Demeo LLP, as a Legal Receptionist and Assistant. She hopes to gain experience in this field before possibly heading off to Law School in the future! Claudia is very grateful for everything CFS has given her while she was in high school and beyond. Without that scholarship and continuous advice and support, she would not be where she is today.

Now successfully employed as a member of State Street’s Professional Development Program, Jason was ready to give back. When he heard about State Street’s involvement with and support of the Inner-City Scholarship Fund—Mike Rogers, President and COO of State Street is on CSF’s Board of Trustees, Jay Hooley, CEO of State Street is on CSF’s Dinner Committee, and many State Street young professionals are members of CSF’s Young Leaders Program—Jason knew it would be a perfect fit. Given his unique connection with the organization, Jason was asked to give closing remarks to the Young Leader Dinner Committee after their kick-off meeting on January 10th at PricewaterhouseCoopers—“If you’re wondering how far your dollars will go, look no further. I am living proof that every penny raised for the Catholic Schools Foundation goes a great distance. I can honestly say that I owe all of my success in life to my Catholic education. Let’s help more kids like me.”

Growing up in Lawrence without many resources, Jason thought his ticket out would be the NBA. “That changed around the time I realized that I wasn’t going to grow passed 5’10”,” Jason recalls, laughing. “After that, I realized that a good education would be the key to success.” Jason attended public school through the eighth grade until staff members of the Boys and Girls Club where he frequented, encouraged him and helped him apply to private schools. Once accepted at Central Catholic High School, his family worried about covering the cost of tuition. Fortunately for Jason, Central Catholic offered him a substantial financial aid package that included an award from the Catholic Schools Foundation—these scholarships, in combination, made his dream of a great education possible.

As for Jackie’s time since graduating from high school in 2016, she has continued her education at Salem State University where she studies Media and Communications. Jackie likes to stay as involved as she can on campus, having played on the school’s Women’s varsity tennis team, serving on the Student Athletic Advisory Committee, and she found time to study abroad in Costa Rica where she studied Spanish.

Jackie has also been interning with the Catholic Schools Foundation for the past two years. Her current role is the Alumni Engagement Coordinator, which allows Jackie to develop a platform for alumni to stay involved. She loves speaking to current scholars, as well as creating new and exciting things to get more alumni involved. Jackie also sees her time as the CSF intern as a way to give back to the foundation after all they have done for her and her family.

With college graduation right around the corner, Jackie hopes to stay with CSF for the next year and create connections, as well as take in all of the knowledge she can. Jackie hopes to one day be an Admissions Director for a school in the Archdiocese of Boston one day.

The summer of 2006 marked the end of a long nightmare in his life. Fortune’s family came to the United States, speaking no English when they arrived. Luckily, they were able to find a small house in Lawrence to serve as their permanent home. He was enrolled in a Lawrence public school and there he learned how to read and write in English. His parents are college graduates back in the D.R. of Congo; so from a young age they stressed the importance and value of being well educated. Aside from fleeing the war, the main reason his family came to the United States was so that he and his siblings could receive a great education.

Thankfully there was a superb Catholic high school in Lawrence that fit his parent’s expectations and high standards. Fortune applied to Central Catholic High School not knowing how he was going to afford the tuition. Both his parents worked dead-end jobs and the little they made was barely enough to keep up with all the house bills.

However, with the generous help of donors from the Catholic Schools Foundations, Fortune was awarded a scholarship to attend a great school. At Central Catholic, he excelled both in and out of the classroom. Fortune was an honor student, three-sport athlete, and served the community. Although he is not Catholic, the education that he received was the education that he and his parents dreamed that he would have and the reason why they brought his family to America. Fortune’s four years at Central were life changing. Central Catholic gave him a competitive advantage when he began to look into colleges. He wouldn’t have been an attractive student to Stonehill College if it weren’t for the reputation that came from receiving an education from Central Catholic.

Since graduating from Matignon High School in 2015, Juan continued his education at Northeastern University. He currently studies political science and minors in urban studies, with a focus on American political institutions and public policy.

For the past four years, he has envisioned a future where full participation and representation reinvigorates Massachusetts’ democratic institutions. After observing his family members experience racial discrimination in his hometown of Chelsea, Juan pressed the city to establish a Human Rights Commission and became one of the commission’s inaugural appointed members. His further work has included policy research on topics ranging from the implications of the ridesharing industry in Salem, Massachusetts, to nuclear non-proliferation in North Korea; a co-op in constituent advocacy and legislative research for U.S. Senator Edward Markey; and the management of multiple local campaigns’ get-out-the-vote (GOTV) efforts, tailored specifically towards non-English speakers. Meanwhile, Juan’s commitment to mentoring young people–and strengthening his community at every level–is also visible in his service as a football coach at Bishop Connolly High School and Randolph High School.

In recognition of his accomplishments and dedication to public service, Juan became Massachusetts’ 2019 Harry S. Truman Scholarship recipient. Similar to the support he received from the Catholic Schools Foundation, being a Truman Scholar will allow him to receive an exceptional graduate education, as he continues to advocate and empower communities all around him.

Having worked closely with both the mayor of Salem and Northeastern Distinguished Professor and former Massachusetts governor Michael Dukakis, Juan hopes one day to represent his community and all of the commonwealth by running for elected office.

To deepen his analytic and management skills in preparation for this career, Juan plans to pursue joint graduate degrees in law and public policy.

His family came from Haiti to give him and his little brother a better life. Being a CSF Scholar opened many doors for Tyler throughout high school years on his journey to enrich his future goals. This coming summer in 2020, Tyler will be interning with Ernst and Young as a freshman through the Launch Internship in their financial services department.

Through exploring different fields where he found interest, Tyler decided to pursue a career in the business field. Tyler has taken part in both PwC’s leadership program which focused on the accounting profession and about the key role accountants play in society as well as the Wall Street 101 program organized by CSF. “It is never too early to look into the future, because it is what you make of it now is what will matter,” Tyler said. Tyler has decided it would be a great idea to give back, for the CSF has helped him so far along his journey and is confident that he will continue to get the support he needs from the foundation.