Each year, a set of juniors wins a scholarship granted by a family, an individual, or an alumni class. However, every year the recipients of these scholarships are unique; each recipient has their own story and challenges. While every recipient is different, they all embody what it means to be a true Malvern student. Each one is a highly involved student who benefits the community around them through character and actions. Associate Head of School, Mr. Ron Algeo ‘87 P ‘15, spoke on the traits he sees prevalent in the awardees. 

“I would definitely say [each recipient has] a spirit of kindness and a spirit of humility. They want to be able to connect to Malvern Prep and what we stand for. There’s nobody that’s going to be awarded something that’s perfect, but the people that I see as that common thread are the ones who really buy into the mission and want to live it as much as they possibly can,” Algeo said. 

Malvern’s mission is something that is ingrained in every student, and it is something that every community member is impacted by. Ms. Danielle Suber, the Head of Inclusivity and Belonging, emphasizes how the honorees exhibit  Augustinian Values. 

“[The honorees] are usually super involved, kind, and represent our Augustinian charism in all they do,” Suber said. 

The Augustinian values of truth, unity, and love are pivotal pieces that make Malvern special. Adam Ferguson ‘27, who received the Mullray Family Scholarship, shared his relationship with the core values. 

“Augustinian values of truth, unity, and love are values that I hold dearly to my heart, and I believe if you can follow those three values, that’s a good guideline to how you should live your life, and that creates a good foundation for being a good person,” Ferguson said.

For some, the core values are guidelines; for others, they are goals. Blaise Pellegrini ‘27, the winner of the Basil B. Sullivan ’51 Scholarship, shares his relationship with truth, unity, and love.

“It’s an embodiment of who I want to be. Coming to Malvern freshman year was scary for me. I was the only kid from my middle school [coming to Malvern], and I kind of just these core values grew, and kind of ingrained themselves in me through all the kids I met and through the teachers and through the opportunities we have here,” Pellegrini said. 

While these awards honor Malvern students, they also continue to honor, year after year, the individuals for whom the awards are named. Mr. Algeo expressed a deeper meaning in the scholarships. The awards carry on the legacy of the past students or parents. The legacy lives on through the ceremony and through the recipient’s impact. 

“You get an opportunity to impact another person’s life by carrying on this message, this charism that this person has left behind, whether it was a past parent or student… Not only the name, but the characteristics of that person get shared every year, and you start to feel like, Oh, I’m starting to get to know this person, which I think is a wonderful honor to [the people who are memorialized by the scholarships],” Algeo said. 

Recently, the recipients and the people who are honoring their families or loved ones with the scholarship have been able to connect after the ceremony. 

“They’re there for the mass and the celebration, and then there’s a reception afterwards where they get to spend some time and get to know the [students] even more, and vice versa, and that’s just been a huge hit. …It really makes that connection real and alive. And you can almost see the spirit of the award come to fruition, which is really special to see,” Algeo said. 

John Kealey ‘27, who received the Joseph L. Kuharich Award, talks about how he was able to connect with Mike Treston after the ceremony. Kealey attended St. Agnes and was familiar with the family member attending the mass in place of Joe Kuharich. Kealey also mentions that he went out of his way to reach out to Kuharich’s son.

“I talked with Mike Treston [Director of Development ‘02], who’s actually a St. Agnes family, so I was pretty close with [Joseph Kuharich’s] other side of the family, the Treston family. And we didn’t meet the Kuharich family, but I did send a letter to Joe Kuharich’s son, who lives in Massachusetts, so I wrote him a little handwritten letter and sent that,” Kealey said.

Matt Brown ‘27, the winner of the Thomas F. Swift Award, shares his interactions with Swift’s nephew on the day of the ceremony. Brown recalls the instantaneous connection he felt with the Malvern alumnus.

“I talked with Thomas F Swift’s nephew. I mean, I felt united with him, even though I’ve never met him, just through that brotherhood and that love for one another, just like the love I have for all my brothers in my class and the community itself, it’s just amazing,” Brown said.

Every Malvern student should strive to be like this group and take advantage of the opportunities Malvern presents to them. In doing this, one can also learn a lot about oneself. Finding your passion and understanding your journey is a key piece in being an Augustinian and a true Friar. Mr. Algeo emphasized this when asked what advice he would give to a freshman or underclassman looking to get involved at Malvern.

“You really have to be as authentic as you can. And when you’re ready for that, this environment allows you to feel more comfortable and confident with that. And then again, as I said, it builds on that. Now you’re really ready to put yourself out there. And so that’s what I would suggest, that people really dive into that opportunity to learn more about themselves, to be curious, want to find out more, and I think that hopefully will then drive them to jump into different opportunities,” Algeo said.

There is no doubt that these students are class act members of the community. While these kinds of students mean a lot to Malvern, Malvern also means a lot to them. Pierce Nevins ‘27, the student who won the Class of ‘71 Award, recalls how Malvern has made him more mature. 

“Coming to Malvern my freshman year, I was kind of young and immature, and I think Malvern matured me to be a better person and to take life more seriously, and [Malvern] showed me how to do that,” Nevins said. 

Similarly, Matt Brown also reflected on how he has become more mature in his time at Malvern.

“Malvern means the most to me. It’s really, really formed me as a person. I would say, coming into Malvern, I was a bit immature. I wasn’t very good at studying. I probably had, like, a bigger ego. And Malvern has really shaped me into the man I am today. And really taught me how to respect others and be the man that Malvern wants us to come and be every day… We see the signs as we leave school, ‘leave is meant to serve’,  and that’s who I feel like I’ve become,” Brown said. 

“Enter as boys to learn, leave as men to serve.” That is a message students and parents see every day on campus; it adorns the statue of St. Augustine and a student at Malvern’s campus entry point on the Ring Road. The sign serves as a summary goal for every Malvern student’s journey. A crucial part of growing as a person is finding oneself. In order to find your passions, you need to try new things and take advantage of opportunities. Fortunately, the Malvern community awards students who do this exactly. This inspirational phrase reflects how students can take advantage of opportunities and how those opportunities shape them. Malvern Men strive to apply themselves to different things in order to grow as people and benefit the community and beyond.