The Lucy Fernandez Foundation, established in honor and loving memory of Luciana Cristina Fernandez, provides scholarships and experiential learning opportunities for students at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy, her beloved alma mater. Guided by its motto, “With Mary in all things,” Lourdes cultivates the values of Tradition, Sisterhood, Spirituality, and Service—an environment that helped shape Lucy’s character and continues to form generations of young women.
Through the LOVE LIKE LUCY initiative, a transformational four-year scholarship, students are invited to step into a legacy of purpose, empowerment, and possibility. More than financial support, the scholarship includes immersive experiential learning through service and travel, offering opportunities to engage in meaningful community projects and continued education. These experiences foster connection, confidence, and leadership, forming compassionate young women who carry forward Lucy’s enduring legacy of Faith, Kindness, Hope, and Love.
Our Lady of Lourdes Academy
Founded in 1963, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy (OLLA) is an all-girls, archdiocesan high school in South Miami-Dade dedicated to educating young women to face the future strengthened by their faith, confident in their abilities, and committed to their Catholic and American heritages.
True to its mission, Lourdes emphasizes the development of lifelong learners and encourages students to become reflective young women who ask questions, seek understanding, and embrace the pursuit of knowledge.
Dedicated to each student’s growth, development, and faith formation, Our Lady of Lourdes Academy engages students through intellectual discovery in a spiritual, creative, contemporary, and collaborative environment. Its ultimate goal is the formation of strong, compassionate, and well-balanced Catholic women.
With the guidance of her teachers, staff, and classmates, Lucy thrived at OLLA, deepened her faith, and formed bonds of sisterhood that will live on in the hearts of all who knew her and those who will come to know her story.
Learn more about OLLA here.
BLUE Missions
Lucy’s passion for helping others inspired her to take part in the BLUE Missions trip in 2021 alongside her classmates at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy.
BLUE Missions provides sustainable access to clean water and sanitation while cultivating a generation of global citizens through reflection, education, and service-driven travel. Through this scholarship, the awardee will have the same opportunity Lucy had to make a meaningful difference in the life of an entire pueblo and community.
Get involved with BLUE Missions here.
Study Abroad Program | Salamanca, España
Lucy’s love of travel, her desire to make new friends, and her curiosity about different cultures led her to embrace every opportunity offered by her faith community and school. Joined by students from high schools across the city, her trip to the Universidad de Salamanca in Spain became one of her most meaningful and impactful experiences during her time at OLLA.
Founded in 1218 by Alfonso IX of León to promote higher education in his kingdom, the Universidad de Salamanca has over 800 years of uninterrupted history. Alongside Paris, Oxford, and Bologna, it became one of Europe’s first universities and remains the only Spanish university to have continuously maintained its academic legacy through the centuries.
Expand your world at Universidad de Salamanca here.
Shining Lucy’s light and carrying forward the transformative experiences that shaped her life and touched so many is at the heart of the Lucy Fernandez Foundation. Through the LOVE LIKE LUCY Scholarship, we strive to inspire others to discover their own light, grow with purpose, and live and love as she did.
The LOVE LIKE LUCY Scholarship is a transformational four-year opportunity for incoming freshmen accepted to and enrolled at Our Lady of Lourdes Academy in South Miami, FL. Rooted in service, leadership, and experiential learning, the program is designed to shape confident, compassionate, faith-filled young women through meaningful education, community engagement, and real-world experiences.
We invite students and families to connect with us to learn more about eligibility, timelines, and the application process.
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