Lolita Colson ’99, who found the inspiration for her career at Cathedral, now invests in scholarships for today’s Cathedral scholars.
Lolita Colson ’99 has never forgotten her roots at Cathedral High School. Even though she now lives hundreds of miles away in Georgia, Lolita still feels a strong connection with her alma mater and credits her success to the donors who made her Cathedral education possible.
As a young child growing up in Roxbury she loved to draw houses. Her childhood interest blossomed into a passion when she took Sr. Agnes’ machine drawing class. This passion developed into a vocation and she became determined to pursue a career in architecture and construction by her junior year. The only obstacle in her way was the cost of tuition.
Through the generosity of Cathedral benefactors, Lolita received tuition assistance her junior year and full tuition financial aid her senior year. Those donors made it possible for Lolita to stay at Cathedral, graduate in 1999, and go on to college at Fitchburg State University. Never giving up the passion she discovered at Cathedral, Lolita earned her bachelor’s degree in construction management and architectural technology. Today, she is the construction superintendent for Whiting Turner Contracting Company in Georgia, having achieved an impressive level of professional success in a field often pursued by few women.
Lolita credits Cathedral as the launching pad for her success in life and is grateful to the donors who made her dreams possible. Today, Lolita provides scholarship assistance to deserving young students at Cathedral each year. “Students who go to Cathedral have the desire to attend college and succeed, they just need the financial support to achieve their goals,” says Lolita. “I give because these kids are following the same footsteps as I did. They are just a different generation and I want to make sure the students coming after me have a positive future.”
Many of our current Cathedral scholars face challenges similar to those Lolita faced. Despite these adversities, our scholars are achieving at the highest levels. 100% continue to graduate from Cathedral and are accepted to college for 12 years straight.
Since 2008, 81% of our alumni have either graduated from college or continue to be enrolled in college, far outpacing the national average of 59%. The school’s enrollment has increased 30% in the past two years, and tuition only covers 15% of the cost of a Cathedral education.
