Resilient 2024 graduates in Diocese earn more than $113 million in scholarship monies

As another remarkable school year comes to a close, more than 450 students in the Diocese of Metuchen walked through their school doors as alumni, taking with them a total of some $113 million in scholarship and award monies, with a college acceptance rate of 100 percent and 99.75% of students continuing on to higher education.

Behind their achievements, which included undertaking more than 45,000 service hours in total, lies a generosity of spirit, dedication to learning and the qualities of perseverance and resilience, all of which are nurtured through their Catholic faith and the Catholic identity of the four high schools within the Diocese: Immaculata in Somerville, St. Thomas Aquinas in Edison, St. Joseph in Metuchen, and Mount Saint Mary Academy in Watchung.

Among the numerous awards presented to students was the 2024 Bishop James F. Checchio Award for Religion, recipients of which included Jacinta Garcia, St. Thomas Aquinas High School; Sharbella Jacobs, Immaculata High School; Victoria Fekete; Mount Saint Mary Academy, and Evan Chin, Saint Joseph High School.

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Catholic Education describes Catholic schools as serving “both the faith community and society by educating children, young people and adults to contribute to the common good by becoming active and caring members of the communities, cities, and nation in which they live.”

This year’s graduates are on their way to doing just that, acknowledged St. Thomas Aquinas principal Harry Ziegler, who reminded students of their high school beginnings during the COVID-19 pandemic and stressed to his graduates, “Your generation triumphed over one of the most serious global events of the century. And now you are thriving and ready to make your mark on the world.”