Kiara Brown, a seventh grade student at St. Anthony Catholic School in Northeast Washington, D.C., was named this year’s winner of the Ms. Paula Scholarship, which is presented annually to a student in the Consortium of Catholic Academies.

The award was presented during an Oct. 26, 2021 Mass for students celebrated by Cardinal Wilton Gregory at the parish church. It is named after Paula Nowakowski, the late chief of staff of former Speaker of the House John Boehner. It is awarded annually to a consortium student who has demonstrated academic excellence and a commitment to his or her faith.

 “Kiara is full of life and she is enthusiastic. We know she will continue to shine,” Michael Thomasian, St. Anthony’s principal, said of this year’s honoree. “She is smart, cheerful, fun, caring, and simply a scholar who is full of potential. Kiara is deserving of this award and will surely continue to succeed in middle school and beyond.”

Nowakowski, in whose honor the award is named, “was a faithful public servant who was strong in her faith,” Thomasian said. “Paula Nowakowski, a woman of strong faith and love for her country, is remembered in a special way today. Her legacy lives on through the many middle school girls who have been awarded ‘Paula Scholars.’ These scholars were selected for their academic achievement, citizenship, and enthusiasm for their faith.” 

Nowakowski, a devout Catholic and well-known advocate for education, served as Boehner’s staff director for the House Education and Workforce Committee, and later became his chief of staff. She died suddenly in 2010 at the age of 46. That year, the Consortium of Catholic Academies Board of Directors established the Ms. Paula Scholarship in honor of Nowakowski.

Boehner “was a strong supporter of our Consortium schools and an instrumental voice in promoting school choice,” Thomasian said. “I give him much of the credit for the existence and success of the D.C. Opportunity Scholarship. I am forever grateful for the countless ways he cared for our children, families, and staff.”

During the Mass, Cardinal Gregory referred to the Gospel reading recounting the parable of the mustard seed (Luke 13:18-21). He likened the students’ education to a farmer who “plants a tiny seed” and recognizes “God has made wonderful things from tiny seeds.”

The parable, the cardinal said, “is about growth, it’s about possibilities, it’s about us …  how we understand ourselves and praise God for His boundless goodness.”

“God wants us to develop and use the gifts He gives us,” Cardinal Gregory said. “It is my prayer that St. Anthony’s parish school and parish family will look at you and say, ‘You know, they continued to grow. Praise God.’”

Cardinal Gregory also told the students that it was his “joy to return to St. Anthony’s” School because he has “a very special affection for this school. It was the first visit I made after being named archbishop of Washington” in 2019.

Thomasian said Cardinal Gregory's celebrating the scholarship Mass “is a testimony to his support and love for urban Catholic schools.”

“The faculty, staff, and students love when he visits. He has an amazing gift to connect in meaningful ways with the entire congregation, especially the little ones,” the principal said. 

After the Mass, a group of students was selected to meet with Cardinal Gregory to ask him questions. “Being the first African American cardinal, he has somewhat of celebrity status in their eyes,” Thomasian said. “The opportunity was one they'll never forget.”

The “Ms. Paula Scholarship” was presented to Kiara by Michelle Hall, the interim president of the consortium, and former D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams, a member of the consortium’s board of directors.

The Consortium of Catholic Academies, a coalition of four center-city Catholic elementary schools in the District of Columbia, includes St. Anthony Catholic School, Sacred Heart School, St. Francis Xavier Catholic Academy, and St. Thomas More Catholic Academy.