When Dr. Dionté Wiggins ‘07 took the stage at Gloriam 2024, the ER physician talked about how Saint Ignatius College Prep gave him the faith-filled and academic background to pursue his dreams.
What makes his purpose-driven trajectory even more special: The fact that the generosity of others was a fundamental part of it. In sharing his story, Wiggins said tuition assistance helped make his time with the Wolfpack possible, and his words inspired yet another cycle of giving.
Right after the doctor's presentation, so many of the 1000 people who attended Gloriam answered a call to give in a way that would impact current and future students.
With incredible enthusiasm they donated tens of thousands of dollars (bringing the fundraising total to more than $3.6 million) to honor a belief inspired by our founder, Fr. Arnold Damen S.J. -- that no student should be turned away because of an inability to pay. The commitment to that idea endures to this day, in part, because the men and women at Gloriam, and all the people who work on the evening, have made it so.
"A humble and heartfelt thank you to all who devoted their passion and energy to make Gloriam 2024 a transformational success for our student tuition assistance recipients," said Saint Ignatius College Prep President John Chandler, "These funds will directly assist our students on financial aid."
The gratitude extends to everyone who chose to invest in Ignatius, and to the parents who co-chaired the 2024 version of this annual, much-anticipated event. They are Elizabeth and Michael Cole, Shawna and Jay Owen and Valerie Barker Waller ‘83 and Steve Waller. Events Director Libby Lucas had high praise for them and for the spirit of Gloriam. She said, “What a wonderful community we have at Saint Ignatius College Prep. The generosity and overwhelming support we have for our students is what makes our event so successful!”
Because of that success, we will continue to send out into the world young men and women from diverse backgrounds who pursue lives of Faith, Love, Service and Leadership -- just like Dr. Wiggins.