Julie Suechu Eng Taing barely rose above the podium at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Center March 15, as she read her winning Catholic Education Foundation essay to 464 fellow high school seniors who are receiving tuition awards from the foundation, along with their invited families and guests, principals and teachers.

The 18-year-old San Gabriel Mission High School student said she had come a "long way" with a Cambodian family crushed by the horrors and memories of a bloody civil war. Her father repeatedly warned her: "Sometimes you can't follow your dreams, Julie. We're not those types of people who are lucky, so stop trying so much."

But the determined, bespectacled girl with over-the-shoulder black hair wouldn't give up, especially when she started going to the all-girls' high school near the historic San Gabriel Mission. "I love doing my best and pushing myself because that's just who I am," she said. "But I couldn't have endured these hardships without the motivation of my school.

"Mission has taught beyond what textbooks can," she stressed. "My teachers push me hard because they believe in me, and my friends encourage me even when I doubt myself. They've helped me mature into an enthused learner who will never quit, and I am proud of it."

This year's annual Mass and breakfast reception, which featured performances by the St. Genevieve High School Choir from Panorama City and St. Matthias High School Bell Choir from Downey, was emceed by KABC-TV's Jovana Lara.

The liturgy and reception celebrated 465 members of the class of '09 - a record number of seniors receiving $2,000 scholarships. Altogether, nearly 9,000 elementary ($1,000 tuition awards) and secondary students received $11.5 million in scholarships to attend local Catholic schools.

Since 1987, CEF has awarded some $92 million in 98,000 tuition grants to students according to financial need, without regard to religious affiliation. Most recipients come from urban, minority families.

Future church leaders
Cardinal Roger Mahony, who established the Catholic Education Foundation with area businesspeople, said the seniors were "a source of great pride" for the Los Angeles Archdiocese's Catholic school system. Moreover, the young men and women will eventually become vital leaders in the community and church.

"I congratulate the CEF board of trustees and the staff for all of their great commitment to making our Catholic schools available to as many as possible," he said. "They are very committed to our Catholic schools.

"And even during this year and the past couple of years when the economy has been so difficult, nonetheless, they have stepped forward to make sure that we maintain our scholarships even in hard times. Because we know that you families need them particularly during these difficult economic times."

The cardinal also lauded parents for their devotion to Catholic education.

"Without your encouragement, it is not possible for your sons and daughters to really take seriously the importance of education," he noted. "So I really commend parents for your commitment to be so involved with the life of your children, both in elementary and high school, because your constant encouragement is what keeps them in school."

Rob Smith, president of the Catholic Education Foundation, likewise praised parents for their steadfast faith in the values fostered in Catholic schools. He said just looking out at so many parents "reinforces" the mission and work of the foundation.

"I also want to thank the students," he remarked. "I can remember those days in school and the homework, the commitment to study and, particularly, making the choices that it takes to stay in school is a big job. And here you are 12 years later.

"I want to thank the teachers who make all this possible," Smith added. "At the public schools they could be making more. But many stay in Catholic school because they like the students and the environment in which they're teaching, and what they can share with students."

The last to address the packed Cathedral Center audience was Theresa Fragoso, director of CEF programs, who aimed her remarks squarely at students. "A Catholic school education is an advantage for life," she declared. "And I'm confident that the 465 graduating seniors receiving tuition awards from the Catholic Education Foundation this school year will prove that statement to be true."

She reported that a recent study by Loyola Marymount University found that 99 percent of students getting tuition awards graduate from high school and that 98 percent of them go on to college.

"There's no great mystery to why Catholic schools work," she said. "The African proverb --- educating a child is the responsibility of the whole village --- states it best and Julie [Suechu Eng Taing] states it best. We are a village with a mission filled with integrity, character, motivation, respect, in-depth learning. We are a community, a learning community where faith is central."

Fregoso told the seniors they had received a "great gift" that many of their parents, grandparents and generations before them had not received - a Catholic school education made possible because of the Catholic community.

"Seniors, I want you to look around the room," she declared. "The principal, the high school staff, your parents, guardians, family members, donors, trustees and friends of the Catholic Education Foundation.

"Look around you, seniors. This is the community of faith. This is Catholic school education at its best. This is the village that has helped you to arrive here today."

Helping struggling parents
Evan Sena, 18, was looking pretty cool at the CEF reception in his sky blue letter sweater with the big S on the front over a button-down collar shirt and dark tie. The senior with the 3.5 G.P.A has already been accepted to Arizona State University, where he plans on majoring in American justice with the ultimate goal of becoming a lawyer.

Coming from a public middle school, Evan was a little leery about switching to all-boys' Salesian High School in East L.A. "But, overall, Salesian has been very, very successful in my life," he acknowledged.

Since his sophomore year, the college-bound teenager has been receiving annual tuition awards from the Catholic Education Foundation. "It helped my parents out a lot and myself, especially in these times of economic trouble," he told The Tidings.

"My parents are struggling making payments and paying for the rent. And not only that, they have three boys and a daughter to support. Tuition fees are high, so the CEF scholarships come in handy. They help to benefit not only me, but lots of students.

"If it wasn't for the foundation, I probably wouldn't be attending Salesian," Evan mused. "I'd probably be attending Roosevelt High School, where the percentage of graduates is very low." Then he paused to ponder that possibility. "I've heard so many bad stories about that school."

Brother John Montgomery said the number of CEF tuition awards at Cathedral High School near Chinatown increased "significantly" this year to 130 because of the growing economic crisis and the fact that the all-boys' secondary school traditionally serves disadvantaged families. In fact, 75 percent of all students are receiving financial aid this year from a variety of sources, according to the veteran Christian Brother principal.

"We're very grateful to the Catholic Education Foundation," he said. "What it does is provide funding for some of the neediest students in our school. But because many of our Catholic high schools, including Cathedral, have tuition above $2,000, the schools try to match or assist families with tuition funding.

"We want Catholic education to still be attainable. But without the Catholic Education Foundation funding, it would be extremely difficult."

Jasmine Roque's father is a house painter, her mother a nanny. The 17-year-old Hollywood teenager says it's always been a "big struggle" for her parents to send her to Catholic school, first at Blessed Sacrament Elementary School and for the last four years at Holy Family High School in Glendale.

Jennifer has thrived at the all-girls' private school, where she's received a CEF tuition award every year, and recently applied to Washington State University. A lover of animals (she currently has a rabbit named "Diamond," a hamster named "Gorilla" and a turtle simply called "Turtle"), she hopes to be a vet.

"I definitely received a great education at Holy Family," she said. "The teachers are really attentive, and they don't ignore you. They talk to you, and if you don't understand something, they repeat the problem. So they really take their time with you.

"But I probably wouldn't be able to go to Holy Family and pursue my career in becoming a veterinarian if it wasn't for the tuition awards. The awards have tremendously helped my family. So I'm very grateful to the Catholic Education Foundation."