A natural leader, Jonathan (Jon) Scharfenberger excelled at Ave Maria University (AMU). He was the president of both the Tennis Club and the Students for Life Club. He helped raise $30,000 for Students for Life, and membership grew from 30 to more than 150 by his senior year. His commitment to pro-life causes at AMU inspired more than 100 students to attend the March for Life in 2010, where he led a Rosary vigil at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
His care for the unborn did not go unrecognized; he was awarded the Communio Personarum Club of the Year Award from AMU, on behalf of the Students for Life Club. During the summer of 2010, Jon interned at the National Right to Life Committee. After graduating AMU in May 2011, he became a field director for Students for Life of America (SFLA). At SFLA, he was the coordinator of campus support as well as the group’s Pregnant on Campus initiative.
He established a pro-life campus group at Florida International University that was successful in saving the life of a week-old unborn baby. Jon passed away in a tragic car accident returning home from a SFLA conference in October 2011. The Jon Scharfenberger Memorial Pro-Life Scholarship was established to encourage other AMU students to become generous pro-life leaders in an increasingly secular society.
“God is the fire,” said Eduardo Verástegui to Ave Maria University students. Verástegui, the actor in the 2006 hit film Bella and producer of multiple films including the 2023 worldwide phenomenon Sound of Freedom, was in the town of Ave Maria as the keynote speaker at a pro-life rally. He graciously stayed for an impromptu meeting with AMU students. During his talk, Verástegui touched on a wide range of topics from success and freedom to community life.
“‘We are not called to be successful. We are called to be faithful.’ That phrase helped me a lot when I was in Hollywood, trying to be a practicing Catholic but at the same time successful,” Verástegui said. “Things were not coming together, and I was suffering and struggling a lot. Now, if by being faithful to God success comes,” he continued, “thanks be to God. Use that success to make a difference in people’s lives. But if it doesn’t come, don’t compromise your faith, your values, or your integrity.”
His message resonated with AMU junior Jacob Weipert. “He is such an example to me and my classmates through his humility and perseverance. I hope to follow his advice in fighting for the values of my Catholic faith,” Weipert said.
Verástegui identified a key component to staying faithful. “Community is very important,” he said. “That’s why I think this is a paradise—because of the community. Because we are very easy to influence.” Looking around at the students, he emphasized the support and accountability within a solid community. “No matter how on fire you are, if you step out of the community, prayer, Mass … little by little you extinguish,” he said.
Verástegui concluded, “It’s very important to be on fire. But that fire doesn’t come from us. God is the fire. We just need to be close to the fire and to the community.”
At Ave Maria University we love life. When you support our students in their pro-life efforts, your gift helps us share that love with those who need it most. Your gifts help in two key initiatives: the Jon Scharfenberger Memorial Pro-Life Scholarship and Ave for Life.
Through the Jon Scharfenberger Memorial Pro-Life Scholarship, in memory of our beloved alumnus and pro-life apostle Jon Scharfenberger (’11), scholarships are awarded to students who are active pro-life leaders.
Ave for Life funds pro-life, student-led activities such as: providing free childcare to student mothers, visiting the elderly, raising awareness of pro-life issues, collecting baby bottles and other supplies for mothers in need, praying in front of abortion clinics, training as sidewalk counselors, and sending students to Washington, D.C., to the March for Life.
Please support our students as they share their love for life.
Contact our Advancement team by calling 239-280-2586 or advancement@avemaria.edu.
EIN: 030482006
