by Michaela Phillips
The following is the speech Michaela Phillips gave during the Futures in Education’s Annual Scholarship Fund Dinner on April 28. It has been edited for length.
Good evening, I’d like to begin by thanking all of you for attending this dinner and for giving me the opportunity to speak up here tonight. Thank you for being Angels to so many students in our Catholic schools.
I know you have seen some students’ stories on the cards on your table. Now, it will be my pleasure to share one of those stories with you. It begins with a young girl whose dreams were higher than the clouds, who has parents that love her like no other, and all she could do was try her hardest to make them proud, and to thank God for all that she has.
She was thankful for all that they’d ever done for her, especially for the sacrifices they had made to send her to an amazing Catholic school. She entered Divine Mercy Catholic Academy at just three years old.
Her biggest goal was to graduate DMCA (this) June. It was all picture-perfect until seventh grade. It was then that tragedy struck her family when her dad became seriously ill. That summer was full of trips back and forth to different hospitals.
After countless examinations and immeasurable medical costs, they learned he had issues she couldn’t even pronounce, like liver failure, hepatic encephalopathy, and diabetes.
This 12-year-old girl was now overwhelmed by her dad’s declining health. She gave him all her love and prayed harder than she had ever done before. As time passed, the image of her dad as a strong veteran of the American Air Force faded away. She was losing her best friend and her hero.
Just when she thought they hit rock bottom, her family’s money was depleted — gone with the countless medical bills. With limited means to pay tuition, her dreams of graduating from her beloved second home of DMCA and attending Saint Francis Preparatory High School were in danger.
What would happen to her dad, let alone her dreams?
That young girl was and is me, Michaela Phillips.
It started with the love and kindness of my principal, Sister Francis, who reached out to Futures in Education, looking for an Angel for me. Because of someone’s generosity, I was able to continue my education.
My Catholic education is important to me because it helps me grow spiritually and shows me what it means to be part of a loving community. Because of you, I have made hundreds of unforgettable memories with the Class of 2026.
And thanks to all of you who support the Angel Program, my Catholic education story will have a happy ending. I will be graduating this year from Divine Mercy Catholic Academy and attending St. Francis Prep — Class of 2030!
I’m also elated to share that my father is doing better than he was last year. He is stable and has only been in the hospital twice since Christmas.
I don’t think I’ll ever be able to thank you all enough. Not only for funding my education, but for funding the hundreds of other children in need.
I believe that having positivity and someone to support you through the darkest of times is truly one of the best things anyone can ask for. This experience has taught me a few things, but most of all, it’s that if we all just share a little of our love and kindness, miracles can happen.
A fun fact about me is that I always have my head in a book. One of my favorite books is one that my eighth grade class finished reading last week, “The Outsiders” by S.E. Hinton.
Maybe you’ve heard of it. I’m sharing this because I believe the story reveals that everyone has times of hardship, loneliness, sorrow, and pain, but above all, it reveals that it’s crucial to cherish the hope we find in the innocence and good of the world.
All who donate tonight are assisting the “good” in this world. You’re giving hope and support to a family who might be struggling to keep their heads up.
To quote a poem from the book, remember to “stay gold,” and please continue to be the maker of dreams for students like me. Thank you all again, and goodnight.
Michaela Phillips, a Futures in Education “Angel” scholarship recipient, is an eighth-grade student at Divine Mercy Catholic Academy in Ozone Park, Queens.