Meet four 2023 Distinctive Scholars

The Archdiocese of Baltimore honored the three top-performing graduating seniors from each of the 18 Catholic high schools of the archdiocese during the 31st annual Distinctive Scholars Convocation, March 30 at Archbishop Spalding High School in Severn.

The Catholic Review spotlights four of the honorees. For a full list of 2022-23 Distinctive Scholars, bit.ly/distinctive-scholars23

David Chandler

Leadership seems to come naturally to David Chandler.

The 18-year-old graduate of St. John’s Catholic Prep in Buckeystown was captain of his high school varsity baseball team, vice president of the student government and one of the senior heads for the student ambassadors.

In the classroom, he was known for actively engaging in discussions and pushing himself to achieve excellence – attaining a place on the President’s List for six semesters.

The baseball standout, who played varsity all four years of high school and contributed to a run for a championship, gave the valedictorian address at his Frederick County school’s May 25 graduation.

His approach to leadership is to recognize that people are looking to him for guidance as a fellow member of their community. He aims to work alongside them and “approach whatever goal we have with them rather than overseeing it all.”

Leadership isn’t about simply telling people what to do, he said. It involves keeping an open mind and considering other perspectives.

Chandler plans to study mechanical engineering at Grove City College in Grove City, Pa. He is attracted to engineering because “it gives you a problem and you have to go through the various steps (to develop a solution),” he explained.

Chandler, an outfielder who has competed in baseball since age 5, will play on the baseball team for Grove City College.

“Baseball has always been a part of what I’ve done,” he said, noting that playing on a team helped him develop his communication skills over the course of his high school years.

– By Sophia Pulia

Ava DiNola

Portraying lead characters such as Queen Elsa in a school production of “Frozen Jr.” helped Ava DiNola learn more about who she is as a person.

“Being a character on stage helps your confidence,” said DiNola, an 18-year-old graduate of Bishop Walsh School in Cumberland, who has participated in Spartan Theatre for four years. “You’re put on spot and you get to embrace a different personality. The things you learn on stage can apply to your own life – thinking and working together to solve problems with everyone involved in the production.”

DiNola comes from a theater family. She and other family members have all been involved in community theater.

At Bishop Walsh, DiNola was a member of the National Honor Society, the Spanish Honor Society and the Bishop Walsh Humanities Honor Society. She served as a delegate for the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership program and is a member of the praise band at United Methodist Church in Cumberland.

DiNola, who has played soccer and tennis at Bishop Walsh and was involved in cheerleading, plans to study psychology at The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and is considering a career helping geriatric patients.

 “I really like working with older people,” she said. “Everybody can benefit from therapy at any age, so I think that’s something I’m passionate about.”

DiNola said she will miss the small size of her Western Maryland school.

“Bishop Walsh has an environment where you can stand out and not be just a number,” she said. “We have small classes and there’s such a special bond. These are people I’ve been with since first grade.”

Ava DiNola delivered the farewell address at Bishop Walsh’s May 26 graduation at St. Mary in Cumberland.
 

–  By George P. Matysek Jr.

Brenda Ayala

As a 5-year-old girl who watched her mother go through hip surgery, Brenda Ayala became fascinated with medicine. She dressed up as a doctor and pretended to treat family members.

The 17-year-old graduate of Our Lady of Mount Carmel School in Essex is now on track to make her childhood dream a reality. In the fall, she will begin a pre-med program at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va.

Ayala, the daughter of immigrants from El Salvador and a former president of her school’s Spanish Honor Society, said she’s especially interested in using her Spanish skills to help those who don’t speak English.

“It’s nice to have someone who is able to communicate with them and for them to understand what their child or loved one is going through,” said Ayala, a graduate of Archbishop Borders School, a bilingual elementary school in Highlandtown. “I know when I went to the doctor, I had to help my mom know what the doctor was saying. I was just a kid, so stuff got lost in translation.”

Ayala graduated with a 4.2 grade point average. She was a member of the Student Government Association, National Honor Society, English Honor Society and Math Honor Society. She served as a baton twirler at Mount Carmel sports events and was part of a group that spearheaded a clothing drive to help the family of a second-grader at Mount Carmel after his family’s home was destroyed in a fire.

“I wanted to be that person who was there to help because I know what it feels like to go through something like that,” said Ayala, a parishioner of Our Lady Queen of Peace in Middle River.

– By George P. Matysek Jr.

Taylor Fleming

Having witnessed some of the harsher sides of city life, Taylor Fleming wants to dedicate herself to making Baltimore a better, safer place.

The 17-year-old graduate of St. Frances Academy in East Baltimore, who volunteered through her school to help feed those in need at Our Daily Bread in Baltimore, plans to major in criminology at Cabrini University in Wayne, Pa. She foresees a career in criminal justice as a forensic analyst or as a political leader. She hopes to devote her career to bringing an end to the violence that afflicts so many parts of her hometown.

“From a very young age, I was interested in the justice system,” said Fleming, who came to St. Frances Academy from Ss. James and John Elementary School in East Baltimore. “I always wanted to work to make an impact on the laws.”

People can sometimes become inured to the amount of violence in the city, Fleming said, but it should never become acceptable.

“I don’t think any child should really experience that, no matter what age they are,” she insisted.

At St. Frances Academy, Fleming graduated with a 4.0 grade point average. She served as class president in her junior year and has been a member of the National Honor Society since her sophomore year. The daughter of a Catholic mother and Baptist father, Fleming said she was particularly interested in history and theology classes.

Fleming played one year of varsity volleyball and is a dancer in the Band Marching Unit, a community marching band. She will miss the spirit at St. Frances Academy, she said.

“I will always remember attending sports events because our sports spirit is top-notch,” she said. “It was a really good experience to see our school play and beat other teams.”

– By George P. Matysek Jr.

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