The Aquinas Scholarship Endowment Fund was initiated in 1994 with the Catholic Foundation through the efforts of Dr. Bob Frank, a Columbus physician and Gary Mangini, Director of Pharmacy, Ohio State University Student Health Service, both graduates of Aquinas High School. Aquinas closed in 1965 and the scholarship was established to perpetuate the name of Aquinas High School by awarding scholarships. An eighth grade boy and girl are selected annually with an emphasis on financial need in the central Ohio Catholic grade school system. The scholarship would pay for the first year of tuition at any Catholic high school in the central Ohio area. Four runner-up partial scholarships are also awarded.
Money for the scholarship is raised through an annual Aquinas Alumni $1000 raffle, financial gifts, and investments at the Catholic Foundation. Since its inception, the scholarship, has awarded 185 scholarships totaling over $525,000. It has been a tremendous success, thanks to the hard work and generosity of corporate sponsors, many Aquinas grads, and friends and supporters of Catholic education. In 2023, the Endowment Fund awarded $15,055 in scholarships.
The Scholarship
The scholarship is managed by a Board of Directors, and the Scholarship selection committee consists of heirs of Aquinas graduates, one Aquinas graduate, a teacher, the former and current Superintendents of Columbus Catholic Diocesan Schools.
The application and selection process consist of:
Students are recommended by their Principal and complete an application. Each application must include a recommendation letter from the Principal, and the most recent report card.
Six finalists are usually selected based on the panel review of the applications. The finalists (3 boys and 3 girls) are invited to an in-person interview to select the awards for the scholarship,
30
Years of Scholarships
+185
Scholarship Recipients
$525,000+
Tuitions Awarded