In Scott’s Own Words

Describe some of the ways you were challenged at De La Salle.

Ms. Stevenson taught me how, through editing, we refine the raw material of our writing. We chip away at the flaws and at the excess, over and over, until the final form is revealed. I have tried to honor that art, editing hundreds of essays and legal briefs – both my own and others’ – to reveal their form and their power.

Ms. Acquistapace’s Honors Biology class underscored that there is no substitute for preparation. How could I ever forget the meticulously detailed chapter outlines we created, or taking test after test after test? The lesson: if I did not prepare, I would not succeed. Period. Countless times, that commitment to preparation has been the deciding factor in my career.

Mr. Hirsch taught me to be wary of taking the easy way out and to not evade the trials I would encounter, but instead find the strength to see them through. He taught me that there is no substitute for hard work and perseverance.

Coach Ladouceur challenged me to be responsible, both to myself and to the team. The purpose of our commitment cards was to be someone that your teammates could count on. Long after my last football game as a Spartan, I have carried that commitment into my work. I try each day to be the best teammate I can be to my colleagues, and the best advocate I can be for Oakland residents – to be someone who can be counted on. Part of that is the commitment to give a perfect effort, pushing myself beyond what I thought was possible. A perfect effort means that I can be proud of what I give, even if the outcome is not in my control.

Mr. Fitzgerald first introduced me in my sophomore Religious Studies class to the Catholic Social Justice tradition and Liberation Theology. The Catholic Social Justice tradition taught me that we cannot choose to ignore the injustices in the world, but that our faith must be faith in action and in solidarity with our brothers and sisters who suffer. It is a faith that calls us to ease the unjustifiable suffering in the world in the ways that we can.

school’s commitment to making a De La Salle education accessible to all boys, no matter their circumstances.

“There are three virtues I associate with Scott Hugo: humility, intellectual and spiritual brilliance, and gratitude,” says Alexandra Stevenson, De La Salle’s English Department Chair. “Scott is one of the most significant and gifted young men to come through my classroom. Despite his enormous academic talent, he was and remains a deeply humble man. Scott exudes brilliance in all his endeavors, including his ongoing effort to make this world a better place.”

Because of my teachers, coaches, and mentors at De La Salle, I have tried to share in the suffering of others, to stand up for the ideal of justice, and to center my heart in all that I do. That focus on love and connection has been the North Star in my fight for justice. It is easy in law and policy for issues to quickly become abstract, but ultimately they impact people with tremendous force – for good or for ill. The cases to enforce tenants’ right to safe, healthy, dignified housing, or to defend community members’ right to clean air, have all been centered in the people at the heart of the injustice. They are why I fight. To stand alongside tenants fighting for their homes, or a grandmother fighting back against a polluting company so that her grandchildren can safely breathe is the greatest honor I could ever ask for.

What did you learn from your time at De La Salle, that you would like to pass on to this year’s graduating class?

Because of Coach Ladouceur, I read a book called The Last Campaign and learned about Bobby Kennedy’s Day of Affirmation speech in South Africa. Kennedy’s warning guided me as I navigated the opportunities after De La Salle: For the fortunate amongst us, the fourth danger is comfort; the temptation to follow the easy and familiar path of personal ambition and financial success so grandly spread before those who have the privilege of an education. But that is not the road history has marked out for us. Kennedy instead underscored the responsibility – and the opportunity – we each have to fight for a better world: Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance.

Any final words?

I shared at graduation back in 2005 that “in our memories, in our dreams, and in the fulfillment of our life’s work will we know the safe harbor that was offered here.” I was wrong about a lot of things as an 18-year old (!) – I had so much to learn about the world and myself, and I still do – but that was something I got right. Almost two decades later, De La Salle continues to be a source of strength, community, and service for me.