Scholarships & Endowment

List of 8 items.

• Pompelia Girardi Esposito Scholarship

  Born in Brooklyn, New York, Pompelia (Pam) was the youngest of seven children in the Girardi family. She credited her early years at St. Teresa of Avila School with providing her a quality, faith-based education and principles which set the foundation of her character. She touched many lives through her kind heart, words of wisdom and generosity.

  
  Pam continued to value learning throughout her lifetime and encouraged others to pursue their education to achieve their dreams. Within her own family, at a great personal sacrifice, she ensured that her two sons and grandson received a Catholic education.

  
  This endowment fund was established in Pam’s memory to recognize her significant generosity and to assist students in need at Mercy High School, Baltimore, who can benefit from the quality education that Pam regarded so highly.

  
  To make a gift to this fund indicate "The Pompelia Girardi Esposito Scholarship" in the designation box on our donate page.

• Joanne Manzo and Bernard Kenyon Scholarship

  This fund for students in financial need honors Joanne Manzo and Bernard Kenyon for their lifetime commitment to the works of mercy, healing, and peace. They are stalwart supporters of Viva House, the Baltimore Catholic Worker, a vital force in Baltimore opposing the works of war and striving for social justice.

  
  Joanne worked as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Mercy Southern Health Center and Bernard as a chemistry teacher at Mount St. Joseph High School. They were both beloved by their respective communities for their professionalism and kindness.

  
  When Bernard retired, he continued reporting for work at Mount St. Joseph, keeping almost as busy as he had been as a faculty member and provided invaluable assistance to the Mount’s retreat program.

  
  For her part, Joanne continues her affiliation with Mercy Medical Center and develops mindfulness workshops and programs for children, particularly those who experience persistent poverty or the trauma of homelessness. She has piloted these programs at Marian House and Loyola Early Learning Center.

  
  The Thomas More Project established this fund in gratitude to Joanne and Bernard, two of its foundational donors, for their interest, encouragement, and support of its scholarship program.

  To make a gift to this fund indicate "The Joanne Manzo and Bernard Kenyon Scholarship" in the designation box on our donate page.

• The Seraphia Scholars Fund

  This endowed fund for tuition assistance was established by Sister Carol Wheeler, RSM, Mercy High School’s former president, principal, and teacher. The fund is named for St. Seraphia, a courageous woman martyred in the reign of the Emperor Hadrian. Sister Carol received the name Seraphia on entering the novitiate and later returned to her baptismal name, Carol Estelle.

  
  The income from this fund will be used to make a Mercy education obtainable for families who would not otherwise be able to become a part of the Mercy High School Community.

  
  To make a gift to this fund indicate "The Serafia Fund" in the designation box on our donate page.

• Sister Mary Anne Smith Endowed Scholarship

  We could think of no better way to honor Sister Mary Anne Smith's 50 years of service to Mercy High School than to establish THE SISTER MARY ANNE SMITH ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP. Our goal is $100,000 to endow a fund that will help Mercy Girls into the future. Please consider joining us in this effort.

  
  Gifts of all sizes to the Sister Mary Anne Smith Endowed Scholarship are deeply appreciated. If you wish to make a gift larger than $5,000, a recurring gift, or a gift of a different amount, please contact Director of Development Niakia Cheese at 410-433-8880, ext. 227 or email her at ncheese-thornton@mercyhighschool.com.

• The Edward E. and Mary Pascullis Sommerfeldt Scholarship for Migrants and Refugees

  This scholarship fund for needy students was established in 2017 by Anita Healy O’Neill ’68 under the auspices of the Thomas More Project in honor of Ed and Mary “Nickie” Sommerfeldt for their devoted attention to the weakest among us through their practice of the works of mercy.

  
  Both Nickie and Ed were accomplished teachers. Beloved by faculty and students, Nickie taught French and worked in College and Career Planning, spending 25 years at Mercy. Ed taught at Coppin State University, where he became Chairperson of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department.

  
  Wherever Nickie and Ed lived or worked, they built the bonds of community with their personal strength and understanding, humor and love. This dedicated scholarship celebrates their steady commitment to education and their community service to Viva House, the Baltimore Catholic Worker; the St. Vincent de Paul Society; BUILD, Baltimoreans United in Leadership Development; as well as their volunteer careers, Ed in the Ignatian Volunteer Corps and at Cristo Rey and Nickie in St. Matthew’s Immigration Outreach Service. As “people for others,” Nickie and Ed’s lifetime efforts reflect Dorothy Day’s key principle, “The final word is love.”

  
  In “The Love of Christ Towards Migrants,” the Council for Pastoral Care of Migrants reminds us that welcoming the stranger was “a characteristic of the early Church” and still “remains a permanent feature of the Church of God.” This fund for need-based tuition assistance gives preference to migrants and refugees in difficulty.

  
  To make a gift to this fund indicate "The Edward E. and Mary Pascullis Sommerfeldt Scholarship for Migrants and Refugees" in the designation box on our donate page.

• Thelma Jean Ullrich Scholarship

  This memorial scholarship for needy students was established in 2015 through the Thomas More Project by the family of Thelma Ullrich, a teacher and principal in the public schools of Mt. Clemens, Michigan. After graduating in 1945 from the University of Michigan, Thelma embarked on a life of fearless thirst for learning and adventure that took her to teaching positions in California, Kauai, Hawaii (before it became a state), and Venezuela and travels that included a boat trip to Japan and driving to Mexico City, all by 1955.

  
  Thelma eventually settled in her hometown, becoming principal of the elementary school she and her siblings had attended and then several other schools, retiring after 43 years in education. She became an active and cheerful volunteer at the Mt. Clemens First Presbyterian Church, the local historical museum, and the town art center.

  
  Like Thelma, her brother Jim also settled in their hometown, but her sister Ginny came to Baltimore and established the Tomlinson Craft Collection, renowned for its offerings of fine American handmade crafts for over 30 years.

  
  Thelma Ullrich poured her fondness and compassion for children into her work as teacher and principal, into her own family, and into her church youth groups. She gave generously to assist Catholic schools in educating the poor.

  
  To make a gift to this fund indicate "Thelma Jean Ullrich Scholarship" in the designation box on our donate page.

• The Sister Mary Michael Grant, OSP Endowed Fund for Music

  This endowment fund honors the memory of Oblate Sister of Providence Mary Michael Grant (1921—1996).

  
  Born in New York City, Josephine Agnes Grant attended St. Charles Borromeo School and Cathedral High School in Manhattan.  She entered the Oblate novitiate, receiving the name Sr. Mary Michael in 1942.

  
  Sr. Michael was an accomplished musician with two advanced degrees from Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore.  From 1946 until her retirement, this gentle and gracious woman taught at schools in Kansas, Illinois, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and Maryland.  Her kindness and delightful smile charmed and captivated everyone from the most apathetic students to her closest friends.

  
  As Pastoral Associate at St. Pius V Parish in Baltimore City, Sr. Michael supervised and taught music at the after-school tutoring program for neighborhood children.  She saw that some of these children would benefit from a Catholic-school education.  In 1986, some of the tutors established the Thomas More Project to provide scholarships for the children.

  
  The Board of the Thomas More Project initiated this fund in Sr. Michael’s name to foster the love of music by supporting Mercy High School’s musical events, activities, or courses. Her kindness and delightful smile charmed and captivated everyone from the most apathetic students to her closest friends.

  
  To make a gift to this fund indicate "The Sister Mary Michael Grant, OSP Endowed Fund for Music" in the designation box on our donate page.

• Virginia Mae MaKechnie Fund for the Arts

  This memorial fund honors Virginia Mae McKechnie, a patron and lover of music and the arts. Its purpose is to enrich and elevate the life of the Mercy community by developing artistic talent and fostering appreciation for the arts as among the noblest expressions of human genius. The fund is intended to stimulate interest in the arts by providing or supplementing stipends for guest speakers or performers, workshops in music, dance, acting, or any related activities, or by helping a faculty member defray the cost of a course in the arts at Notre Dame of Maryland University.

  
  To make a gift to this fund indicate "Virginia Mae McKechnie Fund for the Arts" in the designation box on our donate page.