2023 Distringuished Alumni

The St. Pius X Alumni Association was proud to present the 2023 Distinguished Alumnus Award to Michael Trujillo ’01 for his professional achievement, commitment to our community, concern for young people, and overall excellence. Michael is an Atlanta native from a Cuban-American family. After graduating from St. Pius X, he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia. He then earned his master’s degree from Emory University, where he currently serves on the Advisory Board at the Emory University Goizueta Business School.

Michael began his professional career in marketing at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, and he joined the St. Pius X Alumni Board soon after college. He quickly became President of the Alumni Board, and he began hosting the ever-popular St. Pius X Trivia Night, which raises over $15,000 annually for the St. Pius X alumni scholarship fund. Michael has now been hosting for 15 years! Michael is a crowd favorite at Trivia Night. Each year he chooses a theme and fully transforms into character. Some favorite characters have been Indiana Jones, Elton John, and Willy Wonka.

After leaving the AJC, Michael became an Americorp volunteer, where he taught middle school students from low-income communities. His students realized an increase of 9% in their Iowa Test scores. Michael believes what he learned himself, and the appreciation he gained for teachers, was invaluable.

Michael then went to work for Catholic Charities Atlanta and then Catholic Relief Services (CRS), where he has been for the last 13 years. Michael’s work with CRS has included traveling to various dioceses, parishes, and schools to share success stories of relief aid and development and promote CRS Rice Bowl. He founded STARVE WARS, the meal packing event at Atlanta’s Eucharistic Congress. Currently he trains CRS volunteers in fundraising and advocacy efforts.

Outside of his work and contributions to St. Pius X, he volunteers at the Latin American Association, where he helps immigrants integrate into Metro Atlanta. In 2020 he was selected as their Volunteer of the Year.

When presenting the Distinguished Alumni Award to Michael, St. Pius X Director of Alumni Kristin Dooley ’01 (pictured bottom right with Michael), said, “While my mental picture is still one of Michael running around campus in his cross country gear, he was (and still is) always there with a smile and warm hug. He's an enthusiastic listener and has a good soul. He was a good guy then, and he’s a REALLY good guy now.”

In his memorable graduation speech, Michael shared four themes that shaped the person he became: a spirit of volunteerism, determination, confidence, and pride, and he illustrated how his experiences and teachers at St. Pius X contributed to each one. He said, “Look back on those service hours and continue that spirit of love, charity and justice in your adult life! Recall those times we won and lost to Marist and stay determined to try to reach your own goals. Reflect about those times where you had limited confidence and how your teachers rallied for you! Remember to be proud of yourself, your faith and values, and how you graduated from this amazing school. Continue to feel the sense of pride you feel today for the rest of your lives, and when you are 21, come play trivia with us!”

He concluded with one more theme -- kindness -- saying, “Pope Francis invites us to be the community who builds bridges and not walls. Let us be kind to our