“Winning this scholarship was exciting for both me and my family,” says Curtis Wheeler of Litchfield. “It will be a huge help in paying for a lot of the college tuition I need to pay.”

“I was very happy that I could get this award and represent the Catholic Church,” says Rowan Tanguay of Fort Kent. “It’s been a big part of my life, so I was really happy to get this scholarship.”

This year, for the first time, the scholarship was made available not just to students who attend Catholic high schools but also to Catholic teens who attend public schools or are homeschooled.

Mireille Desrosiers

That benefited students like Mireille Desrosiers of Hodgdon, who was homeschooled and then attended Hodgdon High School.

Mireille will put the scholarship money towards tuition at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio, where she plans to study nursing.

“I’m just passionate about health, and I want to help people,” she says.

Service has long been a part of Mireille’s life. At St. Mary of the Visitation Parish in Houlton, she has served as a reader, cantor, and choir member, has helped at parish meals, has volunteered for Totus Tuus, and has been a leader in the youth ministry program.

“I think it’s important, especially for youth, to show that they care about their faith and to share their faith,” says Mireille. “I think we have a lot to give, and we have a lot of energy.”

“She is a model of faith to other young people in our parish community,” wrote Father Kevin Martin, pastor of St. Mary of the Visitation, in a letter recommending Mireille for the scholarship. “She loves her Catholic faith, and as a young disciple, she lives her faith and shares that faith with those around her.”

The past two summers, Mireille participated in Catholic HEART Workcamp, which provides youths with opportunities to go on short mission trips where they can grow spiritually while assisting people who are living on the margins.

Mireille has also volunteered at the elementary school, made blankets and cards for nursing home residents, and played the violin during a Christmas concert that her family put on at a nursing home. A skilled baker, she also has dropped off desserts and cards for her neighbors.

During the 2023-2024 school year, Mireille served on the Diocese of Portland’s Catholic Youth Leadership team, which planned high school and middle school events. Her contributions were recognized in 2024, when she was honored with a St. Timothy Award, given to high school students who demonstrate Catholic values through service to others. 

“My faith is really what has guided me and motivated me,” says Mireille. “That’s the one thing that I know is important. Just the knowledge that God exists and that He loves me makes me feel like I can’t give up. It just really gets me through everything.”

Margaret Fitzgerald

Margaret “Maggie” Fitzgerald, who recently graduated from Cheverus High School in Portland, says it is her experiences there that helped bring her faith to life. Maggie says although she was raised Catholic, she wasn’t actively practicing until she attended Cheverus.

“Just being here and seeing the love of everyone here has really opened me up to being receptive to that presence in my life,” she says. “My spiritual life has become such a big part of my life. It’s very, very important to me.”

In a letter recommending Maggie for the Amirault scholarship, Cheverus’s director of campus ministry described her as his most active contributor.

“She has been a full participant in everything we do in campus ministry including leading the freshman retreat this year, leading a Kairos Retreat, attending the Jesuit School’s Network Teach-In for Justice in Washington, D.C., this fall, regularly participating in Mass as a reader, and generally often going above-and-beyond,” wrote Rodger Cilley.

In addition to Maggie’s involvement in campus ministry, she was involved in many other organizations, from the school’s Civil Rights Team and the Yellow Tulip Project, aimed at eliminating the stigma surrounding mental illness, to performing with the Drama Society and being a student ambassador.

Maggie also participated in the school’s Portland Urban Plunge, a local immersion experience.

“We stayed at the Root Cellar, which is a community center, and we worked with the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition to make packaged meals for shelters and refugee families. We worked with kids at their daycare system. We volunteered with the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen. We spoke with the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project, and we helped with the Preble Street Food Security Hub,” says Maggie.

Maggie says she is “super grateful” to have won the Amirault scholarship. She plans to major in political science and possibly minor in international relations at Loyola University Chicago in Illinois.

Elizabeth O’Donoghue 

Elizabeth O’Donoghue of Vienna plans to attend the University of Southern Maine, majoring in either environmental science, government, or English and then continuing on to law school.

Elizabeth recently graduated from Maranacook Community High School in Readfield and is an active member of the parishes of St. Joseph in Farmington and St. Rose of Lima in Jay, where she has participated in the Ora Bread Guild, volunteered at the St. Rose of Lima Thrift Store and for Totus Tuus, and helped at parish events.

“Elizabeth has been generous with her time. She has volunteered for the benefit of the wider community in a variety of ways. She has assisted with initiatives of Parish Social Ministry, ranging from kitchen duty to interfacing with youth and adults alike,” says Father Paul Dumais, pastor. “She is a conscientious student with a laudable work ethic.”

Elizabeth says her work ethic is a reflection of her Catholic values.

“Catholic values are the catalyst for responsibility, dedication, and integrity in our daily lives,” she wrote in applying for the scholarship.

In addition to her Church service, Elizabeth has volunteered with the Vienna Historical Society, participated in clothing and food drives, cleaned yards for elderly residents, done trail upkeep, and participated in a drive to benefit the local animal shelter. She was also a member of her school’s Concert Band, the Tri-M Music Honor Society, the RHO Kappa Social Studies Honor Society, the math team, the drama club, the school newspaper, and the volleyball team.

“Elizabeth is not only ambitious and joyful in pursuit of her own interests and talents, not only willing to put the time and effort into helping her community thrive, she does so with an open heart and with impeccable integrity,”  wrote Principal Michele LaForge in a recommendation letter. “Elizabeth is already using the power that we all have to affect the world around us for the better.”

Rowan Tanguay

The same can be said of Rowan Tanguay, a recent graduate of Fort Kent Community High School and an active member of St. John Vianney Parish.

“Rowan Tanguay has been an invaluable member of our parish, participating in various initiatives such as altar serving [for] Sunday Masses, leading and helping the younger altar servers, faithfully volunteering in the parish outreach programs,” says Father Antony Alexander Maria Doss, HGN, parochial vicar of the parish. “She has demonstrated leadership, compassion, and a commitment to her faith and the well-being of those around her.”

Rowan says involvement in the Church has always been part of her family life. She says she has enjoyed helping to train the younger altar servers and seeing them become part of the faith community.

“It’s just really nice to be around,” she says.

She says she finds it reassuring to know that God will always be a part of her life.

 “I know I have my faith to rely on. I know I have a community that comes with that, too,” she says. “There is never something that’s going to be too hard because I know I can always relax by praying and going back to my roots.”

In addition to her service in the church, Rowan was president of the National Honor Society, a member of the Key Club, and president of Natural Helpers, a peer-to-peer support group.

“I was really passionate about that because I was able to be there for some students who maybe wouldn’t want to talk to an adult yet, but maybe they could just talk and let out some of their feelings with a peer,” she says.

 Alongside Natural Helpers, she participated in the Aroostook County Action Program, teaching younger students about the dangers of vaping and smoking.

“I believe in being there for others, whether it’s family, friends, or the community,” she says. “This kindness extends to the natural world, where I feel a responsibility to protect and preserve our environment.”

Rowan says growing up in Fort Kent gave her a love for the outdoors. She plans to study wildlife biology when she attends Paul Smith’s College, located in the Adirondacks. Although she’s not sure what her future career will be, she says if she’s able to be out in the woods, she’ll be happy.

Curtis Wheeler

Curtis Wheeler hopes he will someday work in the field of sports analytics. 

“I want to study baseball analytics and work in the front office of a professional organization,” he says.

Curtis, who plans to attend Merrimack College, an Augustinian school in Massachusetts, recently graduated from Saint Dominic Academy in Auburn, where he was captain of the baseball team and a member of the ice hockey team. He was also on the Student Senate, the math team, the Key Club, and was an assistant chaplain, a position that included setting up for weekly Masses and helping out at retreats for underclassmen.

“It allowed me to grow closer to my faith, while also being a helpful person,” he says.

Curtis, who credits his parents for providing him with a solid faith foundation, says his faith has brought deeper meaning to his life. He says one of his favorite quotes is from Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

“This quote is a reminder to me every day that I have to push myself to work as hard and as diligently as I can, and the Lord will guide me through anything I may encounter,” he says. “My values as a Catholic stay steady each day. I try not to deviate from them as they are my rock and the basis of my life.”

Curtis says he tries to be open about his faith and to share it with others.  And he says he always tries to show kindness to those around him.

“I am always willing to help someone; in fact, I often look for opportunities to help others, especially in times of struggle,” he says.

In recommending Curtis for the award, Father Divine Fossoh, chaplain of Saint Dominic Academy and parochial vicar of Prince of Peace Parish in Lewiston, described him as a “young man of deep faith” who “embodies the key values that the Lila Grace Amirault Scholarship seeks to promote, viz: faithfulness, integrity, service, and a sincere commitment to the well-being of others.”

In addition to being an assistant chaplain, Curtis served as a volunteer coach with Oak Hill Youth Baseball and Oak Hill Youth Football and as a volunteer assistant with Maine Gladiators youth hockey.