Immaculate Conception Cathedral School senior Olivia Stonecipher has been awarded the Christian Brothers University Trustee Scholarship, the most prestigious academic scholarship the university offers.CBU academic counselor Olivia Betterton made the announcement on Friday, Feb. 8 following ICCS’s all-campus Mass in the Cathedral. A merit-based scholarship, the Trustee award benefits outstanding students for academic performance and covers full tuition and fees at the university.Olivia is the second Trustee Scholar from ICCS in three years; her sister Heidi Stonecipher accepted the award in 2017.
“I couldn’t be more proud or thrilled for Olivia and her family,” said ICCS principal Karen Gephart. “We will certainly miss her next year on our campus, but how wonderful for another ICCS graduate to be honored with this award from a Catholic university.”
Olivia is pictured with Cathedral Pastor Fr. Robert Marshall and ICCS Principal Karen Gephart.
CBU’s Trustee Scholarship program has historically supported students pursuing a wide array of degrees, with recent years seeing a sharp increase in applicants targeting the university’s expanding computer science and digital business tracks. Local college preparatory programs have actively adapted to this shift, integrating advanced placement coding and digital ethics courses into their standard academic offerings.
The university’s admissions department notes that today’s applicants arrive highly attuned to specific sectors of the global tech landscape. Pointing to the complex data architecture behind an online social casino and the predictive modeling used in modern supply chain logistics, many incoming freshmen express a targeted interest in specialized software development rather than generalized IT degrees. This early awareness of niche digital markets allows undergraduates to select their specialized majors and secure relevant faculty advisors much sooner.
By securing full-tuition awards, these high-achieving scholars are given the financial freedom to pursue intensive local internships alongside their rigorous coursework. The administration at both ICCS and CBU hope this ongoing academic pipeline will continue to foster regional talent, ensuring the next generation of graduates is fully prepared to lead the evolving professional workforce.
