By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
Eleven students from the Diocese of Davenport will each receive scholarships through the Marguerite Ritzinger Scholarship fund.
Scholarship recipients for the fall 2019 semester are: Sadie Carrasco of Mount Pleasant, Jonathan Herrington of Davenport, Nathaniel Lamansky of Brighton, Daniel Lopez-Sanders of Newton, Michael Tallman of Davenport, David Lopez-Sanders of Newton, Collin Swanton of Goose Lake, Kaitlyn Dickey of DeWitt, Laura Mincks of Columbus Junction, Osmin Melendez of Washington and Hugo Rodriguez of Ottumwa.
Father Joseph Sia, diocesan director of vocations, served on the committee this year. He said 46 individuals applied. “They were all excellent both academically and in terms of personal achievements.” Narrowing the list to 11 was difficult, he said. “The factors we considered were, aside from academic merit, participation in parish life and how they are living out their Catholic faith. This is why their essays and letters of recommendation are also important.”
The award is named for the late Marguerite Ritzinger, a Sigourney native who left money to the Diocese of Davenport to help with scholarships for seminarians and students attending colleges or universities. The scholarship program was launched in 2009. Scholarships are not automatically renewed.
“I’d like to congratulate all the scholarship recipients and their families and hope they will continue to grow in their love for God and his church,” Fr. Sia said. “Let us be grateful to Marguerite Ritzinger for her generosity.”
