The Michael Burke Sr. Memorial Scholarship

Bringing young people closer to Christ

Mission of the Scholarship

Are you passionate about sharing the Catholic faith? Do you currently attend or plan on attending a college, university, or trade school?

The Michael Burke Sr. Memorial Scholarship aims to encourage and empower young adults to be active witnesses of the Catholic faith and create positive community spaces to encounter young people, invite them to transform their lives to have personal relationships with Jesus Christ and give them the opportunity to evangelize their peers and those within their surrounding community. This will be done through the execution of a project, developed by the awarded recipients.

Awardees will receive $5000 per school year ($2500 per semester) to help offset the costs of tuition.

Encourage college students to grow in faith in Jesus Christ

Build leadership skills among Catholic young adults

Inspire college students to remain engaged with the Church

Who is Michael Burke Sr. and Youth Apostles?

Youth Apostles is a mixed association of priests, lay, and consecrated (learn more about us here). This scholarship is in honor of Michael Burke Sr., who was a generous and dedicated supporter of Youth Apostles and its mission to help young people draw closer to Christ specifically on college campuses.

The Goal

This scholarship aims to equip college students (including incoming freshmen) who have a knowledge of the faith and interest in sharing Christ's teachings with their peers. Recipients commit to the development and execution of a project that will engage their peers in a relationship with Christ centered on the values of the Catholic faith. Recipients will be required to attend a workshop over the summer to develop their idea into a project and implement it at the school they are attending.

2026 Awardees

Mary Crosby

Thomas More College of Liberal Arts
If you could spend a day with any Saint, who would it be and why?
I would spend it with St. Catherine of Siena. There are so many things I respect about her, among the top being her dedication to theology and conversion through debate and argument.
Kevin Cabrera Sanchez

George Mason University
If you could spend a day with any Saint, who would it be and why?
St. Simeon the God Receiver. I would like to converse with him on the experience he went through to be able to meet the Messiah.
Joseph Lizzi

University of Miami
If you could spend a day with any Saint, who would it be and why?
I would spend a day with St. Joseph. He never spoke a word in the Bible and yet he had such great influence in Jesus’ life. I would just like to talk to him and see what that was like.
Claire Mooney

University of Tennessee Knoxville
If you could spend a day with any Saint, who would it be and why?
St. Peter. I love his relationship with Jesus and the way he moved on from his past in order to fulfill the life God had planned for him.