Memorial Scholarship

This has been a big week. Coupled with the fact that it's May, [so with it comes all of the "end of school year" tasks, grading, concerts, celebrations, etc.], we also limped our way through Mothers Day on Sunday, a rough 6 month milestone on Wednesday, a memorial scholarship on Thursday, and the placement of Will's headstone on Friday. It's safe to say our emotional roller coaster could use a pit stop so we can all disembark for a bit before we have to reload again. Yet much like most roller coasters, through the worry and nausea, we put our hands up and let the loops and turns hit us one at a time. At the end we found the accomplishment of conquering another fear, held on tight for the unexpected drops, and found joy in the anticipated good that can come of new experiences.

My favorite this week was knowing that an extremely deserving student could be honored on Will's behalf. There were a few things that were very near and dear to us that we wanted to make sure Will's goodness touched. We lit the Angel of Hope statue on the Xavier campus, we donated to the girls school library, donated a healthy chunk to our Parish and created an endowed scholarship in Will's name at my school. As important as it was for us to ensure that incoming students could afford to come to Xavier, we wanted to make sure that we honored an outgoing student in Will's name as well. As most people do when they find out they are having a baby, they dream big for their child. Dreams of what their personality will be like, what their passions will be and the possible impact they may have on others. We dreamed big for Will and he fulfilled most every dream in his short time, but we will always be left dreaming what he would have been like if given the opportunity to walk the halls of Xavier. We selected a student who portrayed many qualities that we dreamed of for Will and presented that student with a scholarship to continue his studies in college. 

As my principal read:

"This scholarship award is in honor of William Everette Richmond, son of Mark and Jaclyn Richmond. Will passed away earlier this school year, but not before touching the hearts of many. He was a beacon of light for proving that every life matters and that you can learn something from everyone you meet, regardless of age, intellect or ability. He will always be considered a Xavier Saint, as he carried out the single most important thing we do at Xavier…he celebrated Mass with us.

This award is for a male student who portrays a few of the qualities that Will’s family dreamed he would portray if he were able to walk the halls of Xavier. He tries his best in each of his endeavors, he walks strong in his faith while encouraging others to do the same, and he leaves everyone he encounters just a little more joyful than when they first met. This student is sincere, he is genuine, and he leads us all to walk deeper in our faith.

We would like to present the William E. Richmond memorial scholarship to: Sam Martin."

If you haven't had the opportunity to meet this student, I suggest you seek him out. He's absolutely incredible.