Our Mission
We provide scholarships to students affected by Type 1 diabetes who choose to attend a New Orleans Archdiocesan School. Managing diabetes can be costly and families should not have to choose between covering educational or medical needs for their child.
Mission Accomplishments
As of August 2025, the Pazos Education Fund (PEF) has had the opportunity to support 52 families living with Type 1 Diabetes who wish to send their children to a New Orleans Archdiocesan Catholic School for their education.
Each year, the PEF continues to reach more families affected by Type 1 Diabetes. After the first school year, (2022-2023), we recognized we needed to also include all grammar schools within the Archdiocese as well. It has been a wonderful addition as we have been able to support more families. From our inaugural year 2022-2023, we have doubled the number of schools in which we are assisting students and families for the 2025-2026 school year.
The mission of this fund is to allow families the opportunity to fulfill their desire for their child to attend a New Orleans Archdiocesan Catholic School without the financial stress of having to decide between medical and educational needs. Since the program began in 2022, our growth can be tracked by the following years:
2023-2024
Number of Students: 27
Number of Schools: 15
2022-2023
Number of Students: 18
Number of Schools: 12
-
Schools & Number of Recipients
Academy of Our Lady High School — 4
Archbishop Chapelle High School — 1
Archbishop Hannan High School — 1
Archbishop Rummel High School — 1
Archbishop Shaw High School — 1 (Grade 8)
Cabrini High School — 1
St. Mary’s Dominican High School — 1
Jesuit High School — 1
St. Paul's High School — 1
St. Scholastica Academy High School — 2
Ursuline Academy High School — 2
Grade level of Students
12th — 1
11th — 5
10th — 4
9th — 6
8th — 1
-
Schools & Number of Recipients
Academy of Our Lady High School — 2
Archbishop Chapelle High School — 2
Archbishop Rummel High School — 1
Archbishop Shaw High School — 1
Brother Martin High School — 2
Cabrini High School — 1
Christian Brothers School — 2
Jesuit High School — 1
Mount Carmel Academy High School — 3
Pope John Paul II High School — 1
St. Mary’s Dominican High School — 1
St. Matthew the Apostle School — 1
St. Paul’s School High School — 1
St. Scholastica Academy High School — 3
Ursuline Academy High School — 3
Grade level of Students
12th — 5
11th — 5
10th — 5
9th — 5
8th — 2
7th — 1
6th — 2
Totals
High Schools — 13
Grammar Schools — 2
2025-2026
Number of Students: 44
Number of Schools: 23
2024-2025
Number of Students: 33
Number of Schools: 19
-
Schools & Number of Recipients
Academy of Our Lady High School — 2
Archbishop Chapelle High School — 1
Archbishop Rummel High School — 1
Archbishop Shaw High School — 1
Brother Martin High School — 3
Cabrini High School — 2
Christian Brothers School — 1
Immaculate Conception — 1
Jesuit High School — 2
Mount Carmel Academy High School — 4
Pope John Paul II High School — 3
St. Cletus Catholic School — 1
St. Dominic Catholic School — 1
St. Mary’s Dominican High School — 1
St. Matthew the Apostle School — 1
St. Paul’s School High School — 1
St. Pius X Catholic School — 1
St. Scholastica Academy High School — 4
Ursuline Academy High School — 2
Grade Level of Students
12th — 5
11th — 7
10th — 6
9th — 6
8th — 3
7th — 2
5th — 1
2nd — 1
1st — 2
Totals
High Schools — 13
Grammar Schools — 6
-
Schools & Number of Recipients
Academy of Our Lady High School — 2
Archbishop Chapelle High School — 1
Archbishop Hannan High School — 1
Archbishop Rummel High School — 1
Archbishop Shaw High School — 1
Brother Martin High School — 2
Cabrini High School — 2
Holy Cross High School — 1
Holy Name of Jesus School — 1
Jesuit High School — 4
Mount Carmel Academy High School — 4
Pope John Paul II High School — 3
St. Angela Merici School — 2
St. Augustine High School — 1
St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School — 1
St. Cletus Catholic School — 1
St. Dominic Catholic School — 1
St. Edward the Confessor School — 1
St. Francis Xavier School — 1
St. Mary’s Dominican High School — 1
St. Paul’s School High School — 4
St. Pius X Catholic School — 1
St. Scholastica Academy High School — 4
Ursuline Academy High School — 2
Grade Level of Students
12th — 7
11th — 7
10th — 10
9th — 7
8th — 3
7th — 1
6th — 1
5th — 3
4th — 1
3rd — 1
2nd — 2
Totals
High Schools — 16
Grammar Schools — 8
Cynthia Pazos, Founder
About Cynthia
Cynthia’s journey into healthcare was shaped by watching her family member battle through diabetes. She quickly learned that patients require a strong support system, on-going medical supplies, knowledge about dietary and disease management, and access to new tools that will help them control their illness so they may manage their disease.
In 1997, she eventually founded a company focused on helping patients with diabetes with being that support system and operated it for 24 years. While she operated the company, her direct contact with families gave her the empathy for their life’s journey with Type 1, Type II, and Gestational Diabetes. Since selling her company in 2020, she continues to focus on those patients who allowed her to support them for so many years.
Managing Diabetes can be costly and that is the reason for creating the Pazos Education Fund (PEF) for students who choose to attend a New Orleans Catholic School. This fund is to assist those students who may be living with Type 1 diabetes or whose family is affected by Type 1 diabetes. The reason for this fund is to allow families the opportunity to fulfill their desire to attend a Catholic School without the financial stress of having to decide between medical and educational needs for their child.