August Spotlight: Meet Alecs from St. Mary’s

August 10, 2022

Every year, The Arizona Leadership Foundation hosts our donors for a breakfast event in May to celebrate our Corporate Champion’s contributions to education across Arizona. This year for our 10th Anniversary, we were excited to have our event at St. Mary’s and bring ALF home to where it started. In addition to serving as our host this year, one of our speakers was St. Mary’s Catholic High School Senior, Alecs Maglupay who is headed to Grand Canyon University to study Nursing. One thing we have enjoyed about this event is giving our donors an opportunity to hear first hand from our students how much their corporate contributions mean to the students and families who receive scholarships from the Arizona Leadership Foundation. Below you can read about Alecs’ time at St. Mary’s and what the scholarship meant to her and her family in her own words.

From Alecs’ Speech at the ALF Donor Breakfast in May 2022:
Good morning. My name is Alecs Maglupay, and I am a Senior here at Saint Mary’s Catholic High School. I am speaking on behalf of my family and every other Saint Mary’s student who has received a scholarship from the Arizona Leadership Foundation. Being a scholarship recipient from ALF has provided me with many opportunities not only as a student, but as a person. I am sure that any other student or family that has received help from this foundation would feel the same. My personal experiences might be different from other’s; however, it does not change the gratitude that my family and I have for this opportunity from the Arizona Leadership Foundation.

A little about myself, I was born in Bohol, Philippines. I immigrated to the U.S. with my parents when I was around a year old. My parents left all their family and started a new life here, no grandma, grandpa, etc. My dad sacrificed his professional job to watch my younger sister Frankee, my younger brother Sid and myself because of the fact that we knew no one and my parents didn’t want us to be cared for by strangers. This meant that my mom was the only one working, which is still true today. My parents have always wanted the best for us and that included wanting to to send us to private and Catholic school. But private school tuition can be expensive. My parents had been paying full tuition for me from Pre-K all the way up until 8th grade. We had no idea that we could apply for financial aid. In the Philippines, scholarships are purely based on the best grades. Continuing on to Saint Mary’s was a question by the end of my 8th grade year because of finances.

However, one day out of the blue my mom comes across the Arizona Leadership Foundation. We were not expecting anything, but little did we know that the help that we received covered most of my tuition. Thanks to this foundation, I have accomplished many academic achievements, and extracurricular activities at this school. I am a member of the National Honor Society and the Ambassadors club. For three years, I served as a room leader, and this year I was a Senator for Saint Junipero Serra House. I joined the cheer team/spirit line for two years. I am also a member of the Drama Club and was an actor for three Saint Mary’s productions, and served as the promotion’s person for one production. The scholarship from the Arizona Leadership foundation allowed me to achieve so many things and helped me prove to my parents that their sacrifices were worth it. I’m certain that there are plenty of deserving students in this state that would love an opportunity to go to school here at Saint Mary’s or other similar schools, but are afraid to because of the financial commitment. I am thankful that this foundation will continue to donate to so that any student who truly wants a private education, that it becomes a reality for them.

About St. Mary’s Catholic High School:
There’s something special about this place. Saint Mary’s Catholic High School is the first and oldest Catholic high school in Arizona. Since 1917, Saint Mary’s has served a diverse population of students that have set the tone for spirituality, academics, and athletics. The young men and women of Phoenix come to Saint Mary’s to receive an outstanding Catholic liberal arts education that fosters faith, promotes academic and athletic achievement, and encourages civic responsibility. Students come to be formed; they go on to shape the face of our nation as business leaders, civil servants, first responders, and public figures. Saint Mary’s is an extraordinary academic community enveloped by unwavering Catholic faith.