Immaculata News
Immaculata University Celebrates Catholic Schools Week
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Catholic Schools Week, celebrated from Jan. 26 to Feb. 1, 2025, highlights the contributions of Catholic education in the United States. The weeklong event features ways that Catholic education provides value to students through contributions to the church, communities and the nation. The significance of Catholic education is evident through its impressive outcomes. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 99% of Catholic high school students graduated in 2023, with 85% attending college—many at Catholic institutions.
“Catholic education provides families with a strong faith-based foundation for their children, which sets the stage for academic excellence and moral understanding. Catholic educators hope to prepare youth for leadership in their careers and their contemporary and future living,” stated Sister Antoine Lawlor, IHM, vice president for Mission and Ministry at Immaculata University.
This faith-driven foundation extends into Catholic higher education. A University of Portland study revealed that Catholic institutions boast substantially higher graduation rates compared to public universities. The study noted that the four-year graduation rate at Catholic institutions is 44% versus 25% at public universities. Over six years, the rates rise to 57% for Catholic institutions and 42% for public universities. Notably, Immaculata University’s six-year graduation rate (for traditional undergraduate students who started in fall 2018) was even higher, at 71%.
Some high school graduates choose to continue their educational journey at Immaculata University. In honor of Catholic Schools Week, read about some inspiring students who have attended both Catholic elementary and high schools.
Growing up in Lima, Peru, Fabiola Arones ’27 witnessed firsthand the influence of Catholic education in a predominantly Catholic country, where 76% of the population identifies with the faith. “Every school teaches Catholicism,” she noted. Arones attended Fe y Alegría N° 37, a free public Catholic school in Lima founded by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM)—the same religious order that established Immaculata University.
The charism and values of the IHM Sisters played a pivotal role in Arones’ decision to attend Immaculata. As an international student, the transition was complicated, but her family believed she would thrive under the Sisters’ support and guidance. She also earned a full scholarship that made her college dream possible.
During her first few years at college, Arones focused on her studies and improving her English fluency. By her junior year, she became more involved in campus life, participating in campus ministry events, retreats, and service trips. After graduation, she plans to return to Peru to start a business with her father, utilizing her business management major and entrepreneurship minor.
“Catholic schools form us for life in a general way, and not only as students who must learn about a specific course. Through this teaching, we can discern how to make better decisions and strengthen our faith and values,” Arones stated.
After graduating from Camden Catholic High School in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, Mary Picciano ’28 knew she wanted to continue her education at a less crowded university and not become just another number at a larger institution. As a data analytics major, Picciano appreciates the smaller class sizes and the close community environment, stating, “I definitely feel like I found the community I was hoping I would find in college—and I found that Immaculata has become a home to me very quickly,” she said.
Picciano’s positive experience during her freshman year allowed her to branch out and join campus clubs and organizations such as campus ministry, IU for the Kids club, concert band and student ambassador. She also shares her musical talents by playing at campus Masses.
Sophomore Zach Maiorano, a marketing management major, chose Immaculata for its supportive environment. A graduate of Holy Cross Catholic School in Springfield, Pennsylvania and Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast Catholic High School in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, Maiorano believed Immaculata was a place where he could succeed.
Beyond academics, he has developed leadership skills through roles as a New Student Orientation leader, altar server, and an active member of campus ministry. He credits his Catholic education with instilling strong family values, discipline and a sense of community. For Maiorano, “Catholic education provides more structure, which is really needed in the world we are growing up in today,” he explained.
These student stories reflect the intangible life lessons and transformative power of Catholic universities such as Immaculata. With over 100 years of history, Immaculata University has cultivated leaders and community-minded individuals, earning its reputation as a premier Catholic institution.