SOUTH END -- Two Cathedral High School graduates of the class of 2017 -- Amberose McDonald of South Boston and Tikia Price of Roxbury -- have been selected as Yawkey Scholars by The Yawkey Foundation.

The Yawkey Scholars program, established in 2005, is designed to make college affordable for talented, motivated, low income students from Massachusetts and South Carolina. It provides a four-year renewable tuition scholarship to help students achieve academically and become successful and highly productive members of the community.

"Tikia Price and Amberose McDonald truly represent the Catholic values and academic promise that we want for all Cathedral High School students," said Dr. Helenann Civian, principal at Cathedral High School, located in Boston's South End. "Tikia and Amberose truly deserve this honor and are a testament to the high standards and expectations that we set for all of our Cathedral High School scholars."

Class of 2017 Valedictorian Amberose McDonald will be attending Wellesley College in the fall. In addition to excelling academically at Cathedral, McDonald was instrumental in founding the campus ministry club and served as secretary of the school's National Honor Society chapter. She participated in the Chica Project and also in several community-based, charitable initiatives throughout Boston including at Boston Cares.

Tikia Price will be pursuing her academic interests in animal sciences and biology at Boston College. Price served as captain of both the Cathedral Panthers girls varsity basketball and varsity volleyball teams and was a varsity pitcher in softball. She was also a member of the National Honor Society and was active in Cathedral's poetry club. Outside of Cathedral, Price volunteered at Haley House and the Walk for Hunger while also working summer camps as a lifeguard and as an animal groomer.

In addition to the substantial support of tuition and fees, beneficial components of Yawkey Scholarships include Yawkey Advisors who work with the students throughout their college career, an opportunities fund for additional educational experiences, and other resources and networking to help students reach their full potential. In addition to financial need, candidates for the scholarship must have an ongoing mentoring relationship, a strong academic record, exhibit leadership potential, be involved in a balance of community, school, and work activities, and demonstrate a desire to make a meaningful contribution to the community.

"We're proud that two Cathedral scholars were selected by the Yawkey Foundation this year, demonstrating our scholars are champions in the classroom as well as on the athletic field and in the community," said Dr. Oscar Santos, head of school. "We wish them, and all of our graduates, much success as they begin this next chapter of their lives."

Since 1926, Cathedral High School has educated boys and girls of all faiths from Boston's inner-city neighborhoods at its South End campus. Now serving grades seven through 12, 100 percent of the seniors from the independent Catholic school have graduated and earned college admission for 14 consecutive years.