Mark Gabriel C. Gonzalez

"Having a strong faith community at school is amazing. I love it when theological discussions break out in everyday conversations," says Mark Gabriel C. Gonzalez, who is a four-year volleyball player and member of the Scholastic Bowl team, for which he served as both JV captain and, now, as varsity captain for the past two years. "At Loyola, I have found people (teachers, coaches, classmates) who are constantly challenging me to be better personally, intellectually and spiritually. I have been provided many different opportunities not just for academic enrichment but also for personal growth through service and spiritual growth through moments of reflection such as the daily Examen and, of course, the liturgy." When Mark isn't at Scholastic Bowl or volleyball practice (he plays on a club team during the off season, too), you’re likely to find this Clavius Scholar and National Honor Society member building computers, playing the guitar, serving as a Eucharistic Minister at LA and his parish St. Norbert/OLB, traveling (he’s been to Japan, the Philippines, Italy, Spain, France, the UK, Canada and Mexico with his family), volunteering at Asian Human Services, Chinese Cultural Center, Maryhaven Care Center, or Madonna Mission. At Loyola, his favorite class has been AP Physics C with Mr. Lowe. "It was both extremely challenging and very enjoyable," he says, adding: "The challenge of Physics C came not only from the complexity of the material we were covering, but also from the rapid pace at which we covered it. This difficulty resulted in an especially tight-knit class. Knowing that there was a group of like-minded students there to support each other in the Physics C journey made the class that much better." Next year in college, Mark anticipates studying engineering and possibly pursuing medicine in the future.