Three eighth-grade students from South Jersey Catholic schools were recently awarded tuition scholarships as part of the 2024 Dr. David T. Coghlan Young Catholic Leader Award.
Established in memory of Dr. David T. Coghlan, a former superintendent of schools for the Diocese of Camden who died in 2005, the scholarships are given to incoming freshmen who will be attending a diocesan Catholic High school in the fall.
Lilliana Harbright, an eighth-grader from Assumption Regional Catholic School, Galloway, was awarded the top prize of $1,250, and will attend Holy Spirit High School, Absecon, in the fall.
Zy’Air Mercado from Sacred Heart School, Camden, and Finley Green from Christ the King Regional School, Haddonfield, were named runners-up, and both received $750. Mercado will attend Gloucester Catholic High School Gloucester City, next year, and Green will attend Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill.
Catholic school elementary principals throughout the Diocese were asked to nominate an eighth-grade student who best exemplified the qualities that defined Dr. Coghlan’s life: a keen intellect, generous spirit, and gracious demeanor fueled by an intense spirituality and commitment to faith.
Nominated students were then asked to complete an application and essay, sharing their own stories of inspiration and why they planned on continuing their Catholic education in high school.
In her winning essay, Harbright called her Catholic education at Assumption Regional “a guiding light” with teachers that “instilled in me a sense of confidence and fearlessness, enabling me to embrace challenges and pursue new passions,” such as public speaking and lacrosse.
Not wanting to lose the “sense of belonging” she found at Assumption, she will continue her Catholic education at Holy Spirit because she knows it “promises a nurturing environment, [which] combined with its religious foundation, aligns perfectly with my aspirations.”
Remarking that the scholarship essays “affirm the value of the Catholic school experience,” Katharine Coghlan, widow of Dr. Coghlan, added that the students, “with both excellent writing skills and thoughtful reflections, demonstrate what it means to lead with a servant’s heart. I am delighted that this award not only honors Dave’s memory, but allows us to see his vision alive in our Catholic school graduates.”
In addition, the Diocese’s Office of Catholic Schools sent every essay applicant a $50 Amazon gift card, to honor their commitment and effort to Catholic school.
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