Student wins €59k grant for US

A THIRD year student in Limerick’s Mary Immaculate College has been awarded a sought after scholarship to the value of $80,000 (€59,255) to study at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

The scholarship was awarded to Stephen McNamara by the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE), which was set up in 1994 to develop at graduate level a core of highly motivated and committed educators to work within Catholic schools. It sustains and strengthens under-resourced Catholic schools through leadership formation, research and professional service to ensure that all children, especially those from low-income families, have the opportunity to experience a Catholic education.

In order to accomplish this ACE provides talented and enthusiastic young teachers to under-resourced Catholic elementary and secondary schools across the southern United States. It also offers intensive professional preparation to equip those teachers with the skills and experience to become effective Catholic educators.

As part of the scholarship Mr McNamara, originally from Co Clare, will be undertaking an intensive two-year Masters in Education programme encompassing professional development, community life and spiritual growth. In addition to this he will be teaching in a Catholic elementary school during term year.

He said: “This scholarship provides me with an excellent opportunity to further my education abroad as well as offering me the opportunity to teach in under-resourced Catholic schools in the US. I hope to bring a sense of community spirit to the area.”