WAUKESHA, WI. (May 29, 2025) – Catholic Memorial High School seniors earned more than $17.9 million in college scholarships. The scholarship awards were among many honors announced at the Class of 2025 senior awards celebration on Wednesday, May 21, and graduation ceremony on Friday, May 23.
“The value of investing in a Catholic Memorial education is measured in many ways and has never been more evident.” Said Donna Bembenek, President of Catholic Memorial High School. “Our graduates are extraordinarily well prepared for college – often finishing early. Colleges and universities are taking note of the incredible accomplishments of our students. They are eager to have CMH students on campus and are making financial investments to make that a reality.” Bembenek continued, “The recruitment and acceptance of our students into top-tier universities and direct admit programs is not solely based on high grades in an academically rigorous school, it is also based on the track record of success of our graduates year after year. This CMH class has achieved great things over their four years of high school, and we are truly proud of every one of them. They are great scholars and great people, grounded in their faith.”
Among the Catholic Memorial Class of 2025:
- 96% plan to attend a technical, two- or four-year college or university.
- Class average GPA of 3.6.
- 1 National Merit Finalist and Scholarship Awardee
- 10 students were awarded full tuition scholarships
- 53 students were on the Honor Roll every semester of high school. (3.5 GPA or higher)
- 19 students committed to compete at the collegiate level for athletics – a percentage double the national average.
- 46 students are International Baccalaureate Diploma and International Baccalaureate Career Related Program candidates (the highest level of advanced education available at a high school level)
In addition to the scholarships awarded to the Catholic Memorial graduates, numerous students were directly admitted to their college of choice within their universities. Multiple students received direct admittance to honors programs. The Catholic Memorial Class of 2025 will also benefit from college and university credits granted for their work in the International Baccalaureate Program, Advanced Placement Assessments, Concurrent Enrollment credits, Project Lead the Way STEM courses, and internship experiences.
“Our graduates are accepted to top-ranked universities and colleges, and many of them even enter college with second-semester freshman or sophomore status,” said Donna Bembenek. “College credits earned in high school saves money and provides priority to our graduates when registering for in-demand college courses.”
CMH graduates will attend 52 top universities and colleges across the US including the University of Notre Dame, Northwestern University, Saint Louis University, the University of Florida, the University of Iowa, the University of Nebraska, the University of Minnesota, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Indiana University, Loyola University-Chicago, Viterbo University, Marquette University, Iowa State University, Drake University, the University of Kentucky, to name a few.
Photo Credit Scott Ash / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel