Sister Mary Grace Riddles, OSB Endowed Scholarship

Established in 1984 to honor Sister Mary Grace Riddles, OSB, a founding faculty member and Doctor Emeritus of Saint Leo; for a full-time University Campus undergraduate with demonstrated financial need as determined by a current and complete FAFSA, a minimum GPA of 3.0, and displaying high standards of academic achievement, motivation, potential, and willingness to contribute their time and talent to the university. Special consideration will be given to returning students.

The scholarship questionnaire was prepared by Katie (Marie Kay Miller, HNA ‘60) Calvert, who was an inaugural donor to the ’Sister Mary Grace, OSB Endowed Scholarship’.

Why did you choose to create a scholarship at Saint Leo University?

I was given a scholarship by Sister Mary Grace to attend Holy Name Academy when I expressed interest in becoming a nun. During my four years of high school at Holy Name, Sister Mary Grace was a mentor and inspiration to me and my school. I wanted to contribute something to honor Sister Mary Grace during her lifetime in return for her guidance and her gift of Benedictine education. I did not become a nun, but I did marry a St. Leo Prep boy and we have two wonderful children; one of which received her Associates Degree from SLU in 1985.

What would you want the recipients to know about the person for whom this scholarship is named?

Sister Mary Grace was intelligent, level-headed, and kind. She was an excellent teacher of English and Religion. She was a musician and instilled a love of music in her students. She was a role model in life as well as in the classroom and played an important role in the continued development of my faith and devotion to Holy Name Monastery and Saint Leo University.

What is your favorite Saint Leo story, tradition, or what has Saint Leo meant to you?

I loved all of the activities the HNA girls and the Saint Leo boys shared thanks to the nuns and monks. They worked hard to provide us well-rounded lives filled with music, theater, dances, sports, and some coed classed held at Saint Leo. They all helped us grow in our faith. The campuses were on adjoining hills filled with oak trees, azaleas, camellias, roses, and groves of orange and grapefruit trees. We swam and canoed in Lake Jovita and challenged each other to hike around it. We were expected to maintain high Benedictine standards both academically and spiritually.

What do you hope recipients gain through this scholarship support?

I hope the scholarship recipients will enhance their self-esteem by being awarded the Sister Mary Grace Riddles, OSB Endowed Scholarship. I hope the recipients will also reach the high Benedictine standards of Saint Leo University as outlined in the description in the Sister Mary Grace Riddles, OSB Scholarship.