“We are so grateful and honored to have received this extraordinary gift from the Chan Soon-Shiong family,” said Head of School Jacqueline Landry. “ I join my predecessor, Dr. Mary Ellen Gozdecki, in thanking Patrick and Michele for their vision and commitment. Their gift will have an immediate impact on the lives of our students and faculty, and will help to ensure the legacy of our founding Sisters.”

In making their gift, Dr. Soon-Shiong and Mrs. Chan Soon-Shiong stated “Nothing is more important to the future of our country than our children. We are extremely pleased to be able to assist Marymount in its quest to provide the tools that will help their students realize their dreams, and to help this wonderful institution of learning achieve its goals for generations to come.”

The Chan Soon-Shiong gift includes $1 million to support Marymount’s commitment to its founding congregation, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, in conjunction with the recent agreement transferring title of the school property to Marymount High School, Los Angeles.

The remaining funds have been designated to support several new initiatives including a 21st century learning environment that provides enhanced opportunities for collaborative learning and integration of advanced technology throughout the curriculum. Over the summer, classrooms were furnished with new desks, chairs, wall-talker boards and other features to support the one-to-one laptop program being launched this fall. Marymount High School is the first all-girls independent high school in California to initiate a one-to-one laptop program.

The gift will also provide funds to establish a summer internship program for Marymount students at colleges, universities and other institutions throughout the city. Specifically, the Chan Soon-Shiong Scholar program will be established to mentor Marymount students in the fields of business, arts and science at institutions of higher learning such as the Center for Health Informatics at USC , the John Wayne Cancer Research Institute at St John’s, the Anderson School of Business Management and the California Nanosystems Insitute at UCLA.

“Dr. Soon Shiong’s generous and visionary gift will enable exciting collaborative opportunities between business-minded Marymount students and the intellectual resources and students of the UCLA Anderson School,” said Dr Judy Olian, Dean of the Anderson School of Business Management.

Finally, in keeping with the mission of the Chan Soon-Shiong Family Foundation to fund research and erase disparities in access to health care and education, a portion of the gift will provide financial assistance to fund two Chan Soon-Shiong Scholarships for students whose families would otherwise have not been able to afford a Marymount education.