By Anne Marie Amacher
The Catholic Messenger
Ten students in the Diocese of Davenport each were awarded $1,000 scholarships through the Marguerite Ritzinger Scholarship.
Scholarship recipients for the upcoming fall semester: Isaiah Finan of Knoxville; Sarah Huber of Davenport; Connor LaPage of Eldridge; Maggie McDonald of Tiffin; Sierra Petersen of DeWitt; Keith Steinbach of Newton; Katherine Thorpe of Newton; Laura Mincks of Columbus Junction; Anna Barr of Kellogg; and Nicholas Riedsel of Grand Mound.
The award is named for the late Marguerite Ritzinger, a Sigourney native who left money to the diocese to help with scholarships for seminarians and students attending colleges or universities. The scholarship program was launched in 2009.
Nikki Gartner, diocesan CFO, said a record number of students (115), applied this year. A committee reviewed essays, high school or college transcripts and reference letters in addition to the application form.
Andy Gaertner, diocesan director of development who serves on the scholarship committee, said the number of applicants this year made it challenging to narrow the list of finalists. “What impressed me was how involved these applicants were in their respective parishes. Reading their essays gave me a lot of hope for the future of the Catholic Church in our diocese.”
Scholarships are not automatically renewed.
