Mary Cates McBurney
2024 SCCCW Reverend William Pentis Scholarship Winner









 

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Service to others is an important part of who I am.    Serving other people and making a difference in their lives brings me not just fleeting happiness, but true joy.

My love of service flows from my Catholic Fath.  What I have learned from the teachers, coaches, and priests at St. Joseph School and Cardinal Newman School is the importance of lifting the dignity of each person and helping them to be the best person that they can be.  Leaders must be devoted to serving not only those that they lead, but those in the world around them.  True leadership is exercised by service to others. 

That was the message Jesus taught the disciples in many places in the Gospel of Matthew.  “The first will be last and the last will be first.” Jesus is teaching the disciples that the true power of leadership flows from God, and that service is the expectation of every leader.  Jesus’ life was that of a servant leader.  I believe that this is what we are called to be in life, to be like Him.  I decided to build on a life of service as an athletic trainer for young people.  I have seen the impact that athletic trainers have had on my life and my growth as a person.  I am inspired to play that same role for other students.

I will be enrolling at The University of South Carolina in the fall of 2024 to pursue a degree in Exercise Science, with a plan to obtain a Master of Science Degree in Athletic Training.  I intent to continue to be involved in activities like the USC Dance Marathon for the Prisma Children’s Hospital and in activities at St. Joseph, such as the children’s nursery.  

I will be involved at the St. Thomas More Center and the Carolina Catholics group.  I look forward to continuing my faith journey there.  I look forward to this new part of my life and all the opportunities that it presents for me to serve others.

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