Alumni Spotlight
January 2024 • Catholic Schools Week Spotlight
Sam Young, Class of 2007
Why did your family choose Kennedy for your education?
At the time, my parents were not happy with what type of education provided by my local public school. In 5th grade, I continued my academic career at Saints Mary and Joseph school in Newton Falls. My parents and I were on a summer trip in Maine and I was about to start 8th grade when I asked them where I would be attending high school. They both told me that the decision was up to me. Immediately I wanted to go back to my local public school because that’s where all my siblings went and I still had many friends there. However, the longer I thought about it, the more I changed my mind. I knew Kennedy was a place of high academic and athletic standard, and I always felt like it was the best school in the county. I knew I would miss my old friends, but I wasn’t afraid to make new ones. Before the end of my 8th grade year, I made the decision that I wanted to attend Kennedy. Little did I know that even if I hadn’t made that decision on my own, the decision was already made for me.
What is your favorite Kennedy memory?
At Kennedy I had so many great memories. From cheering on the football team, playing in loud and intense basketball games, talking to all the great teachers, having a great time during Senior Service with Fr. Petrunak, and even performing on the stage. However, one in particular will remain with me forever. The very first time I saw my wife during my freshman year. I’ll never forget it and it feels like it happened yesterday. I was in the hallway and she came around the corner and walked down the stairs. When it came to talking to girls, I had a ton of confidence. However, when it came to talking to her, I couldn’t even put a sentence together. She was and still is the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen. I finally asked her out after our junior prom and we have been together ever since. We were married in 2017 and even took some wedding pictures at Kennedy.
Did you have a teacher or class that was a major influence on you?
The teachers at Kennedy were absolutely tremendous and they not only created a family environment, but they also set the academic bar high for all of us. I always loved having Art class with Mrs. Binko. I have a little bit of artistic ability so getting to work with her was a true joy and discussing life with her was always a true joy. Mrs. Prebish was by far the most challenging teacher I ever had in my entire academic career. She was someone who emphasized excellence and didn’t mess around when it came to working hard. To this day, I still shiver in fear when I see a diagrammed sentence. Even though she was extremely challenging and never accepted anything less than our best, I appreciate her pushing me and my classmates everyday. Mr. Hoover is someone I still look up to and was a pure joy to have as a student. At the time, his class was so difficult that I didn’t know if I would make it. However, due to his high standards, he greatly prepared me for college and I will always appreciate that. By the time I started classes at the University of Akron, I was well prepared while my classmates were completely lost. He honestly may be one of the most intelligent people that I have ever met. Father Petrunak not only made my adjustment to Kennedy easier, but he provided great spiritual guidance for me. When I was a freshman, he gave me the nickname, “tall walkin’ smooth talkin’”. Once I finally had him as a teacher for senior year service, our connection grew even stronger. When we didn’t have to go to our service location, I remember having deep conversations with him that I still cherish. Finally, the last teacher I would like to mention is someone I would like to shape my teaching career after, Mr. Gillen. Everyone at Kennedy loved Mr. Gillen. His class was fun because you never knew what you were going to get. It seemed like Mr. Gillen was always in a good mood and his class was the one where you would laugh the most. He had a story for everything and he always seemed to know what to do when you were having a bad day. His dedication to Kennedy was unmatched and I will never forget my time with him.
Education/Professional Experience:What career did you choose and tell us a little bit about how you got there.
When I first attended the University of Akron, I still wasn’t sure what I wanted to do. I would eventually get into communications where I was rather successful, but it just didn’t feel like it was what I was meant to do with my life. It wasn’t until I came back to Kennedy to visit some teachers when it happened. For the first time in my life, I felt an excitement that I had never felt before. I felt a great desire to become a teacher. Once I got back to Akron, I knew I had to change my major. I would eventually transfer to Youngstown State University and would start my student teaching career…at Kennedy. I still believe that it was a sign from God. I was meant to be here. I would begin my teaching career as the Technology teacher at the Kennedy Lower Campus in 2017 and then in 2018, I was called up to the Upper Campus. I have been at the Upper Campus for six years now where I teach Junior High social studies, High School mythology and psychology/sociology.
What accomplishment are you most proud of?
If you know me, I am beyond proud to be a father to two beautiful children. My daughter Scarlett was born in 2019 and my son Harrison was born this past summer in May, 2023. Seeing them both grow and learn has been a true blessing. As far as my professional career goes, I would say building relationships with my students. I love it when former students come back to visit or when they message me how they are doing. Seeing their success is something I truly enjoy. Every now and then a student will write me a thank you letter and it honestly means the world to me to have those letters. I cherish my time with my students and love seeing them work hard toward accomplishing their goals. I am also very proud of the state of the volleyball program at Kennedy. In 2018, I took over as the varsity volleyball head coach. Though it has taken some time, I believe this program is growing in the right direction. When I first took over, the program barely had enough girls for a Varsity and Junior Varsity team. Now, it is the only girls program at Kennedy that has tryouts. With the help of assistant coaches, parents, administrators, and players, this program has really grown and next year has a ton of potential. This team has a ton of potential for next season and I can’t wait to see what they achieve.
What is a specific piece of advice you would give to a Kennedy senior?
When you graduate and leave Kennedy, you will find people who are smarter than you, more talented than you, have more connections than you, faster, stronger, taller, and maybe are even better looking than you. You can’t control any of those things, but you can control how hard you work. Hard work never goes out of style, so always be willing to outwork everyone.
Having a relationship with God is also key to success. You may not understand why certain things are happening to you, but God will give us difficulties to make us stronger. Being a Catholic isn’t about having strong faith when everything is going well, it’s about keeping the faith when it seems like everything is going wrong.
My last piece of advice is to always make sure you thank those who have helped you through your journey. Whether it be your parents, grandparents, teachers, or coaches, saying thank you goes a long way.
