St. Philip Catholic Daughters award scholarships

The Catholic Daughters of America from St. Philip the Apostle Parish in Corpus Christi awarded scholarships to 10 deserving 2012 graduates who will be attending their first year at a university in the fall. Some of the funds raised were from the parish annual rummage sale, the Fall Festival Silent Auction and donations from parishioners of St. Philip.

The Catholic Daughters have awarded $19,000 to college-bound students since the inception of their scholarship program in 2007. “It is through the support of our parishioners and the hard work of our court members, that we are able to assist these young people in attaining their goal of a higher education,” CDA member Patty Bohn said.

“Catholic Daughters look for opportunities to live our mission of faith working through our love of and support for the Church,” she said. “We believe unity and charity to be cornerstones to spiritual enhancement. We support the philosophy that students achieve success through active involvement in the church and volunteering in their community. This coupled with the security and guidance of a loving family, they develop a firm sense of values and strong moral fiber that will serve as a foundation for their later years. Thus we reward applicants who demonstrate these qualities as well as their achievement of academic excellence.”

The 2012 graduates who received a scholarship are Amanda C. DeLeon, attending Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and majoring in marine biology; Robert P. Gonzales, attending St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and majoring in political science; Alexandra M. Harrel, attending Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and majoring in education; Jason E. Martinez, attending Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and majoring in Mechanical Engineering; Andrea E. Park, attending Northwestern University Evanston, Illinois majoring in journalism; Pia A. Roperes, attending St. Mary’s University in San Antonio and majoring in biology pre-medicine; Christina N. Ruiz, attending University of Texas at  ustin and majoring in education; Sterlen E. Shaffer attending Texas A&M University-College Station and majoring in geospatial science; David Tver, attending Texas State University-San Marcos and majoring in English; Amber M. Wenzel, attending Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Texas and majoring in wildlife management.

“We take pride in the individual and collective success of our scholarship recipients. Abigail Adams the wife of President John Adams said, ‘Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought after with ardor and attended to with diligence.’ These recipients have certainly done that. While no one can predict with certainty the prominence they will achieve, we feel confident they will continue to grow in their love of Christ,” Bohn said.