DSHA Gets $2 Million For Scholarships

Divine Savior Holy Angels High School announced Monday that it has received a $2 million scholarship donation to bolster its Beacon Scholarship program. This program currently provides a full-tuition scholarship to at least one high-achieving student of color each school year.

This is the largest endowed scholarship donation in DSHA’s 129-year history. The donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, has a daughter who graduated from the all-girls school.

The money will help expand the Beacon Scholarship program, which supports students of color, according to DSHA board president Katie Konieczny.

“We are most grateful for this incredible support of DSHA and our efforts to offer a DSHA education to more young women in Milwaukee as we continue on our journey to create an environment where each and every student feels a full sense of belonging,” Konieczny said in a press release.

In 2007, the school’s Board of Directors launched the Diversity Task Force to ensure that the school included students from different backgrounds.

To be eligible for the Beacon Scholarship, students must be an incoming first-year student from Milwaukee with financial need. They must also get strong recommendations from their middle school teachers or administrators, score above the 50th percentile on the DSHA entrance exam and demonstrate “commitment” by the student and parents through an interview, according to the DSHA website.

DSHA admissions staff identifies eligible candidates during the admissions process, so no extra application is required.

Along with the four-year financial support, the recipients have mandatory academic achievement standards and requirements for co-curricular involvement.

Thirty-eight percent of DSHA students received financial aid, and 13.5% of students were part of the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program in the 2020-21 school year.

Laetitia Faye, a 2021 Beacon Scholar graduate and future Cornell University student, said that being a Beacon Scholar has helped her be a role model and leader in her community.

“This gift is going to do so much — it is even bigger than what we see right now,” Faye said. “This incredible gift will give young women at DSHA a passion and a purpose even beyond high school. I’m so appreciative that other girls will have the same experience I have had to take advantage of every opportunity in such a supportive environment.”

DSHA principal Dan Quesnell said that the relatively new program has already yielded positive results.

“In fall, when the girls return, nearly 40% of the incoming freshman class will be made up of students of color,” Quesnell said. “And the expanded Beacon Scholarship program comes at a perfect time.”

DSHA is located at 4257 N. 100th St. in the Grantosa neighborhood of Milwaukee.