Aim Higher Alumnus Returns to Share Gratitude
October 31, 2024By: Ricky Austin
The following contains the opening remarks (in unedited form) of the 12th Annual Night of Light Celebration delivered by Ricky Austin.
“In just a couple of minutes, we’ll have the opportunity to meet or, rather I should say, reconnect with a former Aim Higher Scholar. Before then, some of you who are here for the first time might be wondering ‘do they really just do “one thing”
. . .the answer is yes.
We do tuition-assistance scholarships. Access. We strive to shine a light on and, in turn, create educational opportunity that wouldn’t be there without our scholarships.
But whatever your reason for being here tonight, a friendly disclaimer:
Falling in love with the mission of the Aim Higher Foundation, investing in parents’ dreams for their children, is not for the faint of heart.
Ricky Austin is the President of the Aim Higher Foundation.
It’s a responsibility. . . and one we all share. Ensuring all children are given the best tools and put in the best environments to become the best versions of themselves . . . it is. . .it should be. . . the very foundation of a healthy, high-functioning society.
And so the kind of support we seek at Aim Higher is unique because the problem we aim to solve is so strikingly problematic.
Today, too many children do not have access to the quality of education they deserve.
And, unfortunately, this will be the case tomorrow. And the day after that.
We received 6,700 applications for our scholarships last year. We’ll get more next year. And more the year after that.
The families represented in those applications seek our help this year. And more families will seek it in the next.
Because, in every city across America, and in every neighborhood across the Twin Cities, families are looking anxiously for better educational options. . . and there are Catholic schools. . . an option they desire. . . with empty seats available.
With your help, with another scholarship, we can give more parents. . . . more children. . . access to the many benefits of a Catholic education.
And those benefits. . .the research of their impact is clear:
Catholic school graduates are
• more committed to service,
• more likely to vote and engage in their communities,
• less likely to end up incarcerated
• more likely to earn higher wages
• and overwhelmingly more likely to remain engaged in the Church as adults.
- Almost all Catholic school students— 99%—graduate from high school on time.
- More than 85% of Catholic school graduates attend college
- And students from disadvantaged backgrounds who attend a Catholic school are 42% more likely to graduate from high school than their peers
And there are empty seats!
In a nation facing its worst education crisis in history. . .Catholic schools have empty seats.
I could go on. . .
But rather than delivering a more traditional keynote this year, instead, we are going to invite you to get behind our mission by telling three stories this evening . . . not about the numbers but instead. . . about the impact of a Catholic education.
The first story is about the very first Aim Higher scholar I met.
In 2018, our team went looking for a scholar story for that year’s Night of Light. We hoped to capture just a glimpse of how when a student is given access to the right environment, that the spark inside them could be fanned into a flame which would turn into beacon of light for others.
Maybe it shouldn’t have been as surprising as it was. . . but we found it in the very first interview we did.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s a privilege to share once again, the story of Isaac Garcia from the 2018 Night of Light.
(Delivered on October 12, 2024)
Thank you!
On October 12, 2024, the Aim Higher Foundation held its 12th annual Night of Light Celebration! The record breaking proceeds of the gala will support the Aim Higher Foundation’s tuition-assistance scholarships which help make the benefits of a Catholic education accessible to some of the most deserving children across the Twin Cities. This year, more than $1.1M was raised. And you can still make a gift!
