On course for prestigious scholarship

A KILMALEY man has become one of two people in Ireland to receive a prestigious scholarship to study at the University of Notre Dame in the United States.
Stephen McNamara, a student at Mary Immaculate College in Limerick, was recently awarded the highly prized scholarship valued at $80,000.
The scholarship was awarded by the Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) at Notre Dame, Indiana, which works to strengthen under-resourced Catholic schools to ensure that all children, especially those from low-income families, have the opportunity to experience a Catholic education. 
In order to accomplish this, ACE provides talented and enthusiastic young teachers to under-resourced Catholic elementary and secondary schools across the southern United States. ACE also offers intensive professional preparation to equip those teachers with the skills and experience to become effective Catholic educators.
As part of the scholarship, Stephen will undertake an intensive two-year Masters in Education programme encompassing professional development, community life and spiritual growth. In addition, he will be teaching in a Catholic elementary school during term year.
Speaking about his recent award, Stephen said, “This is without doubt my greatest achievement to date and I feel a great sense of pride as a result. This scholarship provides me with an excellent opportunity to further my education abroad as well as offering me the opportunity to teach in under-resourced Catholic schools in the US.  I hope to bring a sense of community spirit to the area and to instil in the children my own personal faith and belief”.
For the past 11 years, ACE has offered scholarships for Irish students to travel to the US to take this programme of study. The competition is open to all who hold an undergraduate degree from any university and this is the first year a student from Mary Immaculate College has applied.
Speaking on the announcement, Professor Teresa O’Doherty, Head of the Faculty of Education at MIC said, “The Faculty of Education is particularly proud of Stephen’s achievement in winning this award. The University of Notre Dame’s Alliance for Catholic Education (ACE) programme resonates clearly with the goals and mission of the teacher education programmes and the work of the Targeting Educational Disadvantage projects at MIC.
“We know that the quality of children’s education cannot exceed the quality of their teachers and through providing the best teacher education programmes possible, MIC is committed to ensuring that all children have the opportunity to experience an excellent education. 
“I am certain that this sharing of values and experiences through Stephen’s studies will contribute to an enhanced collaboration between Notre Dame and MIC”.
Stephen will begin his course of study at Notre Dame in mid-June.