Gratitude and admiration from Andrew and Ashley Schade

Now that Andrew and Ashley Schade, both B.A. 2010, live in Louisiana, they don’t have the opportunity to visit campus as often as they would like. Inspired by fond memories of their four years on campus, however, they stay involved from a distance by making Catholic University one of their philanthropic priorities.

Catholic University “fundamentally changed our lives for the better,” Andy said.

“We could spend hours talking about the memories that we acquired at Catholic University: the special professors, campus ministry, class retreats, mission trips, study abroad, the Pryz, and much more.”

– Andy Schade

Andy graduated with a degree in Theology and Religious Studies, while Ashley received her degree in English from the School of Arts and Sciences. As students, both of them received scholarship support.

Currently, Ashley is an assistant principal at St. Thomas More Catholic School in Baton Rouge, LA. Andy is the director of development for the College of Agriculture at Louisiana State University. Since they both work in education, the couple hopes the academic programs and facilities at Catholic University will continue to be enriched. And, having received scholarships, Ashley and Andy want the University to be more accessible, and encourage their fellow alumni to become involved in order to do so. 

“The cost of a private college education is becoming more difficult to justify for many families, and for some it’s seemingly unattainable,” Andy said. “The University needs to work to keep tuition and fees low while providing significant financial aid. This requires two things: a serious commitment from University leadership and generous donors. If you only have one of these two things, it's not possible.”

“It takes generous people to make that happen,” he said.

“Whether people choose to support scholarship funds directly or the University's other priorities, giving to Catholic University ultimately is about more scholarships and improving the experience for students.”

– Andy Schade

Andy and Ashley support the University through a recurring monthly gift. For them, setting up an automatic gift is an efficient and effective way to support the organizations they are passionate about.

“It’s just easier that way — we don’t miss the relatively small amount every month, but it adds up over time,” Ashley said.

“We hope future graduates will have the same gratitude and admiration as we do about the University once they become alumni.”

– Ashley Schade

We hope you’ll join the Schades in supporting Catholic University and charting a course for a brighter future. We look forward to seeing other alumni at Loyalty Society and other University events!