19 minute read
Class of 2019
Bingze Lin N S Andrew Franklin Livingston S Nicholas Kanto Lulaj Noah Matthew Lundgren Q N I M Alexander Newton Maas M Michael James Maisano Q N S Thomas Joseph Mansour Anthony James Marable Jose Martinez Jr. Andrew Joseph Matt Michael Henry McGinnity C Richard Wayne McNaughton III Andrew Martin Meldrum Jacob Michael Miller Gideok Min S Jack Anthony Minnella Antonino Vincenzo Minniti N I S Daniel Christopher Mocnik C Daniel Louis Motowski C Jon Norman Novak Jr. Ryan Thomas Nowak C Jack Kelly O’Brien M Maxim Joseph O’Brien C Jack Dominic O’Donnell M Matthew John Osterhout M Ryan David Ostrowski Matthew Patrick Paglia S Ryan Daniel Pastorino Duncan Alexander Pattison M
Brendan Andrew Pelto Antonino Ingnazio Picciurro Joseph Sherwood Pierce Conner Thomas Popa Shane Michael Radden Mark Walter Rainko Domenico Gerald Ricci Michael Lorenzo Ring Richard Anthony Roraff Derek Donald Roskopp Scott Frederick Roskopp Brandon David Ross Devin James Ruiz Ryan Michael Rutkowski Reginald Race Ryder Thomas Rocco Rydzewski Jack Michael Salisbury William Christian Scalf Joseph Edmund Schaeffer Thomas David Scheper Paul Christian Schocker Nolan Anthony Schultz Anthony David Sciotti Alexander John Scopone Alexander Thomas Scotta Nicholas George Seros Ethan Jacob Severson Nicholas Michael Severyn Logan Phillip Shaheen S
N I S Q N I S
N M N C
C N C
M N M
M N S
Q N S Q N S
C
C I S M
N S Joseph Yalda Shamoun Michael V. Sherman S KeShawn Rashad Simmons Joseph Paul Smigiel C Robert Arthur Smith Q N S Eric Steven Sochacki C Nicholas Keith Spencer C Tyrelle Duqua Stephens Alec Robert Streberger Sam Merico Streberger N M Jack Anthony Studnicka Q N I S Anthony Joseph Stull N I S Alexander Joseph Suminski-Primel Noah Steven Szymanski Daniel J. Talbot C Isaac Ramzi Toma Jacob Joseph Tousignant Evan James Vaillancourt Giuseppe Michele Vitale Simon Peter Viviano S Joshua Paul Warminski N M Dakota John Weaver Connor Michael Weir N I S Alec Timothy Westphal Nolan Paul Work Kyle Steven Zammit M William Wells Zurawski M Joseph Steven Zynda S
Q N I C M S Michigan Competitive Scholarship Qualifier National Honor Society International Baccalaureate Candidate Cum Laude Magna Cum Laude Summa Cum Laude
Awards Presentation
Valedictorians Kevin Kathawa Joseph Schaeffer
Business First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Brillati Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Anthony Iannuzzi Drama Performance First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christian Dean Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connor Weir Technical First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mariano Grillo Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Smigiel Engineering First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mariano Grillo Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Davey English First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Schaeffer Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Kathawa Fine Arts First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Conor Condon Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Christian Dean Foreign Language Chinese First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sam Streberger Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Julius Audisho Spanish First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rodrigo Gonzalez Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jack Studnicka Journalism and Yearbook First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Noah Szymanski Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . James England Mathematics First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Schaeffer Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Kathawa Music Instrumental First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Connor Weir Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dominic Balice Vocal First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Robert Cornwell Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Alexander Maas Science AP Biology First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ryan Beginin Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Martin Daman AP Chemistry First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Schaeffer AP Physics First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gideok Min Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dongyeon Kang Social Studies First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Schaeffer Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kevin Kathawa Theology First in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joseph Schaeffer Second in Merit. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Nicholas Brillati Perfect Attendance all 4 years Dominic Balice Brennan Johnson Antonino Minniti Alec Westphal
The Class of 2019 has earned over $15 million dollars in academic scholarships.
By Kevin Kathawa
Kathawa Valedictorian Speech
One of 16 seniors who were in De La Ian Earle, Athan Konon, Jacob Kujawa, Salle Collegiate’s rigorous International Noah Lundgren, Nino Minniti, Joe Pierce, Baccalaureate Diploma Program, Kevin Conner Popa, Alex Scotta, Jack Studnicka, Allen Kathawa gave a Valedictorian Speech Anthony Stull, and Connor Weir. These 15 at the school’s 91st commencement ceremo guys have worked so hard the last two years ny last spring. in what is a very rigorous program. Kathawa, who is now attending the Although our transcripts will read 187 University of Detroit Mercy, was in the students in our graduating class, today and National Honor Society and graduated forever, we as the Class of 2019 stand 188 Summa Cum Laude. strong. I pray that we are all welcomed Here is his speech: into Heaven by our Lasallian brother, Joey In the words of the great philosopher and Kevin Kathawa Gangola. Dunder Mifflin Paper Company Branch Whenever people speak about De La Salle, Manager Michael G. Scott: “Don’t ever, for any reason, they always mention the brotherhood that’s created among do anything, to anyone, for any reason, ever, no matter the students. Never before was that more apparent to me what. No matter where. Or who, or who you are with, or than when I had the privilege of attending Kairos both as a where you are going, or... or where you’ve been...ever. For retreatant and as a leader. Kairos is a time when you forget any reason whatsoever.” about all your classes and social life and you simply focus That is the Michael Scott philosophy. I stand by it whole a bond with your fellow retreatants, some of whom are heartedly, and I believe it is a principle that we should all people who you may have never talked to. The connections adopt in our lives. It’s centered around creating respectful that I made with those of you on Kairos made this day all human relationships, which happens to be one of the goals the more special for me, and I thank you for that. of Lasallian education. Whether it be with teachers or fel low classmates, I hope we can all think of someone from I would be remiss if I did not mention my family as an De La Salle who has impacted our lives during our time enormous source of support for me throughout these four here. years. Mom and Dad, thank you for instilling in me a Personally, there are two groups of people, both involved for always believing in me. To my older brothers, Deion, with the International Baccalaureate Program, who have Navin, and Jason, thank you for being such outstanding made a significant impact on me: the 15 other brave kids role models for me. And finally, to my little sister Isabella, in the IB Program and Mrs. Howay -- AKA our IB mom. I thank you for always brightening my day. want to first thank Mrs. Howay for making IB a reality and on you and God. When that happens, you inevitably create strong faith and an excellent work ethic. And thank you treating me with nothing but respect these last two years. I I can confidently say that, without the contributions from truly appreciate your unwavering support for me these past each and every one of you, this moment would never be few months, in particular. And so, to my IB mom, always possible. remember -- keep up the good vibes. Before my closing thoughts, I would like to offer a word of I’d also like to recognize my graduating IB brothers: Dom advice on De La Salle’s motto “Builders of Boys. Makers Balice, Nicholas Binno, Vince Compton, Rob Cornwell, Kathawa continues on page 17
Valedictorian Joseph Edmund Schaeffer is buckets in IM basketball. one of 10 De La Salle Collegiate seniors to Mrs. Meier, who was the chillest teacher in post the graduation trifecta: National Honor the school, as she was always understanding Society, Summa Cum Laude, and being a when it came to cooperating with us stu Michigan Competitive Scholarship qualifier. dents and our busy schedules. Schaeffer, who was on the Pilots 2019 var And of course, there’s ‘Saint’ Berlin, who sity baseball team, is attending Michigan genuinely cared about each and every State University this fall. student in our class, as he always set a great Here is his speech: example for how to act as a man in today’s When I look back at my time at De La Salle, society. there are many memories that have shaped These teachers are just a few of the many these amazing four years. These include: Joseph Schaeffer who have touched my life at De La Salle. - Witnessing four different state The staff as a whole deserves the utmost championships. respect for all that they have done for the - Learning about the fundamental theorem of calculus, both my development and the development of my fellow which I am sure everyone here clearly remembers from classmates. For their efforts, I am forever grateful. their time in high school. school community, as they have played a pivotal role in Next, I would like to highlight my relationships with the - Winning spirit week not once, but twice. students at De La Salle. During these years, there have - Finally defeating Coach Schypinski in two-ball after four been a couple groups of students who I have formed espe painful years of losing to him. cially strong bonds with. One such group is my baseball While all these moments were special, the most important teammates. part of my time at De La Salle has been forming relation We have experienced everything together, from 6 a.m. ships that will last for life. These relationships have proworkouts in the winter, to long bus rides to road games, to vided me with the support necessary during high school in chirping the opposing team. Witnessing the hard work of order for me to develop into the man I am today. I formed these guys each and every day always served as motivation these bonds with a couple different groups of people, and I for me to become better as a player. I am thankful that I would like to acknowledge each of them here tonight. had the opportunity to play for this program and I look for First, I would like to focus on the importance of the rela ward to making one final run together in the state playoffs. tionships I have formed with my teachers. These connecAnother important group is my close friends. We had so tions extend beyond the classroom, as they have allowed many great memories, from Lebron vs. Jordan arguments me to not only grow as a student, but also as a person. at the lunch table, to chilling playing 2K on the weekends, There’s Mr. Kirck, who would always proofread my essays to all the inside jokes making fun of each other. With you and talk with me about baseball. guys by my side, there was never a dull moment. Mr. Novak, who would provide our class with practice AP Staying with the theme of friends, I can’t forget my best calc tests during lunch, while also teaching us how to get friend, my brother Ryan. It’s amazing how far we have Schaeffer continues on page 17
Kathawa, continued from page 15 of Men.” I want to share a quote by Gus Fring from the series Breaking Bad which shows, in part, what it means to be a man. Fring states, “What does a man do? A man provides. And he does it even when he’s not appreciated, or respected, or even loved. He simply bears up and he does it. Because he’s a man.” Gus Fring may not exactly be a role model in the series, but there is, in fact, wisdom in those words. It is absolutely imperative that we strive towards this vision of manhood. We are not automatically men just because we walk across this stage and receive a diploma. Being a man is not a once-and-for-all proposition; it is a process. We become men. We strive for it. I’d like to end this farewell speech by quoting the famous Schaeffer, continued from page 16 come, from arguing over wiffle ball in the front yard as little kids, to being the only brother tandem in the two-ball tournament this year. Our friendship will only continue to grow, as I look forward to you visiting me on the weekends next year at Michigan State. And finally, to address the class of 2019 as a whole. We have been the class of change at De La Salle, as we have had a new schedule every year and even experienced a change in the advisory program this year. A weaker group of young men would have allowed this to ruin our senior year and tear our class apart. Because of our strong broth erhood, however, we embraced these new challenges, and have left our great school in better shape for the future. I am thankful to have undertaken this journey with such a great group of guys, and I look forward to seeing the posi tive impact that the class of 2019 makes on our community. Now, to the most important bond in my life: my relation ship with my parents, Lee and Nancy. In case anyone here is unaware, attending De La Salle costs a little bit of mon ey. My parents could easily have sent me to a public school and bought themselves a fancy car or a big house. Instead, pre-game speech given by Herb Brooks to his players at the 1980 Winter Olympics just before their game against the undefeated Soviet Union. Just as those 20 men representing the United States in 1980 were inspired despite facing the most daunting task in the hockey world, so, too, can all of us be inspired here tonight. My hope is that we can all take these words to heart and harness them for the road ahead to college and beyond. And so, in the words of the legendary Herb Brooks: “Great moments... are born from great opportunity. That’s what you have here tonight, boys. That’s what you’ve earned here tonight. Every one of you. And you were meant to be here tonight. This is your time. Now, go out there and
St. John Baptist de La Salle, pray for us! Live Jesus in our hearts, forever!
take it.” they valued providing me with a Catholic education, as they made my future and success their No. 1 priority. Their support, however, extends beyond just sending me to De La Salle. From never putting any pressure on me to finish as valedictorian, to staying patient with me and my indecisiveness when choosing a college, to always showing 100 percent confidence in my abilities even when I doubted myself. Through all of this, your love has remained con stant. You have taught me that the most important job of being a parent is to provide a better life for your children. You have far exceeded this role, as I would not have devel oped into the man I am today without the strong foundation you have given me. I am so lucky to call you two my mom and dad and I love you for all that you do. I would like to take this time for all of us students to give our parents and families a round of applause for the sacrifices they have made for each and everyone of us. In conclusion, I would like to congratulate the entire class of 2019 on their graduation, and I wish you all the best of luck in the future. Go Pilots!
Mark Miller ‘73 Freedom House
Although Mark Miller ‘73 regularly attends class reunions and often attends Pilots sporting events, few of his classmates know of his volunteer work with Freedom House in Detroit. Miller became involved with the immigrant program after hearing about the need for tu tors through his parish, Nativity of Our Lord, in Detroit. He serves on the parish council. He says the immigrants, asylum seekers from Nigeria, the Congo, and Guinea, spoke some French, some English, but needed a language partner. “The men I’ve worked with at Freedom House are pretty accomplished,” Miller says. “They have college degrees and had professional jobs. It takes them a while to talk about their past. They want to learn about life here. During the 2016 Presidential election, they were very interested in the candidates and watched the debates.” Freedom House is located in southwest Detroit, and is looking for a more permanent location. Mark Miller ‘73 “The tough part for these men is employment,” Miller said. “Many end up working at the airport, and have a long bus ride there. It’s not an easy way to go.” Miller has a business degree from Michigan State University, and earned his law degree at Cooley in 1983. He practices personal injury litigation law with Garan Lucow Miller. He has served on the Grosse Pointe Woods Citizens’ Recreation Commission for over 20 years, as well as the Grosse Pointe Woods Foundation. Miller and his wife Lisa, who works in the school office at St. Joan of Arc, have three children and two grandchildren. They recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.
Make a difference in a student’s life with The Brothers Table Fund
De La Salle Collegiate has a long tradition of making Catholic education affordable. As Brother George Synan used to say, the school never wants to turn away any boy strictly from lack of funds. For some Pilots, however, tuition is just the beginning of their needs. “Some of our boys don’t have enough to eat,” states President Emeritus Brother Bob Carnaghi. “The situ ation has always been present at De La Salle, and continues today”. To address this issue, De La Salle has a program called The Brothers Table to help provide necessary food and extras for students identified through a detailed application process. “This is an important part of our Lasallian Mission,” said Brother Bob, “and I am calling upon our alumni and our De La Salle family to help. If you wish to make a contribution to The Brothers Table Fund, you can do so online at www.delasallehs.com, and click Give Now, or call the Advancement Office at 586-778-3356.
