Scholarship helped girl chase dream
Watertown twins aim ‘to give back’
Elizabeth Kudinova, 12, of Watertown is one of the many students who have benefited from The Catholic Schools Foundation’s Inner-City Scholarship Fund, which pays tuition to top Catholic schools for nearly 4,000 kids a year based on economic need. Elizabeth and her twin brother are in the seventh grade at Saint Columbkille Partnership School in Brighton. Here is her experience, in her own words:
“My parents, immigrants from the Ukraine, came to the United States of America looking for a new beginning. They had lost their life savings buying a home that was never built. They started over in America.
My mother went to college, while my father went to work. When my brother and I were born they promised to do whatever it would take to help us benefit from the opportunities in America.
They want us to never give up on our dreams. They want us to be able have a career that we love. This meant that my mother gave up college for our education. My twin brother Max and I arrived at Saint Columbkille Partnership School for kindergarten. We did not know any English, nor did we have the confidence to ask for help.
When Max and I started school, we felt an instant welcome. Mrs. Ward (a kindergarten teacher) did everything she could to help us fit in and to feel loved. The environment really helped us blossom and grow not only as students, but also as citizens.
I went from not knowing any English, to now writing this essay! After nine years at Saint Col’s, my brother and I are now in the seventh grade, both of us finishing the year at the top of our classes. This school encourages us to dream big, think deeply, to strive to do the best that we possibly can and to give back to our community. I’m sure that my brother and I will do just fine, and in the future graduate from good universities.
We are very thankful to those who helped our parents pay for our tuition. While we will continue to learn and grow, we will never forget the values that we learned at Saint Columbkille, and how much this school has done for our family.”