Immaculate Conception junior named 2012 Seton Scholar
Immaculate Conception High School is pleased to announce that junior Brandon Schley was recently honored as a 2012 St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Scholar at the 22nd annual Seton Awards ceremony October 1st at the Ronald Reagan International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. This recognition was made possible by Leigh-Anne Kazma, who was also honored by the National Catholic Education Association (NCEA) as one of this year's St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award winners. Each recipient of the Seton Award has a scholarship awarded in his/her name to an outstanding Catholic school student, and Ms. Kazma chose IC High School's Brandon Schley to receive this honor.
Brandon Schley, a high honors student, excels academically in IC High School's challenging college prep curriculum – maintaining a 4.5 GPA. Schley's favorite subjects include math and writing and he also enjoys playing the guitar and piano in his free time. Brandon is a Knight Ambassador and also participates in Yearbook, Ecology Club, Film Club, Chess Club, Art Club, and the Italian Club at IC High School. He also lends a hand in the community by working with St. Vincent DePaul at the local food pantry. Brandon hopes to pursue a bachelor's degree in technology with the goal of finding a career in software design and engineering. The Seton Scholarship is valued at $2,000 and is applied towards his high school tuition.
“I was honored to be invited to attend this prestigious event in our nation's capital” said Schley, “I was able to meet many kind and generous people who are affiliated with Catholic Education throughout the United States”.
The Seton Award is NCEA's highest honor, given in recognition of significant contributions to Catholic education. The award is named in honor of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821), the first native-born American saint. Leigh-Anne Kazma, president of the Kazma Family Foundation in Chicago, received the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Award from the NCEA in recognition of the foundation's generous patronage of Catholic education. Ms. Kazma was born in Canada and immigrated with her family to the United States in 1979. A graduate of Bradley University in Peoria, Ill., she resides in Chicago, serving students in need by mentoring and providing scholarships and as a member of numerous boards including the Chicago Big Shoulders Fund, the Joliet Diocesan Catholic Education Foundation and several elementary and secondary school boards.
In 1997, Ms. Kazma was named president and sole employee of the Kazma Family Foundation. She has dedicated her entire career to personally engage with the students who receive financial aid from the foundation. Ms. Kazma serves as a mentor for her scholarship recipients, reviewing their progress, dining with them at their schools and taking them on academic and recreational outings. The life-changing generosity of the Kazma Family Foundation provides scholarships to students throughout the Chicago area, including seven high schools in the Diocese of Joliet. Kazma singularly, or in partnership with charitable organizations, has provided financial support to nearly 1,000 students.
NCEA, founded in 1904, is a professional membership organization that provides leadership, direction and service to fulfill the evangelizing, catechizing and teaching mission of the church. NCEA's members include elementary schools, high schools, parish religious education programs and seminaries.
Immaculate Conception High School is the oldest Catholic, coeducational college prep high school in DuPage County. Located in Elmhurst, ICHS is a regional high school that serves students from over forty communities in the western suburbs. For more information, please check the web-site at www.ichsknights.org .