Favreau named valedictorian

Jonathan Favreau, former Opinions editor of The Crusader, has been named valedictorian of the class of 2003. "We're proud to select him, and to have him be the representative of our class at graduation," says Cara Gontarz, commencement chair of this year's graduating class.

Favreau has been an exceptionally accomplished and active student during his tenure at the College of the Holy Cross. Aside from his work with The Crusader, Favreau has been active with the College Democrats, currently serving as their Treasurer and Debate Committee chair. He also studied classical piano with professor Tahmizian from 1999 to 2000. Favreau has an extensive record of community service to his credit. He participated in Habitat for Humanity during Spring Break 2001, and in the UMass Memorial M.O.V.E. Program, through which Worcester-area college students visited cancer patients for several hours each week.

Favreau has been particularly active in S.P.U.D., both in volunteer and leadership capacities. From 1999 to 2000, he served as a volunteer in the Welfare Solidarity Project, a program designed to assist welfare recipients by informing them of their legally-entitled benefits, which are often overlooked in a post-welfare reform system focused primarily on reducing its caseload. In 2000, Favreau became the program's director.

"During my time as director, I sought to strengthen the college-community relationship by establishing the project as an official Holy Cross organization, securing funding through various grants, and working with professors to include the project as a community-based learning component of various courses" says Favreau of his efforts with the program.

In 2002, Favreau became head of a new S.P.U.D. initiative, the Main South Workforce Development Program. The program focuses on assisting unemployed members of the Main South community through job placement and the improvement of resumes and interview skills. Favreau stills heads the program, made up of fifteen Holy Cross students who run workshops, conduct one-on-one training, and communicate with local businesses regarding employment opportunities.

A political science major, Favreau participated in the Washington Semester Program, serving as a press intern for Democratic presidential candidate Senator John Kerry. While there, Favreau says he "assisted [Kerry's] communications director and press secretary in drafting op-eds, writing press releases, fielding press inquiries, and attending press conferences."

For his leadership and scholastic achievements, Favreau has received several prestigious awards and scholarships. He is a member of the College Honors Program, and of Pi Sigma Alpha, the Political Science Honor Society, and Alpha Kappa Delta, the Sociology Honor Society. He was a 2001 Charles A. Dana Scholar, and a winner of the 2002 Vanicelli Award. Favreau has also been named a 2002 Truman Scholar, a $30,000 graduate scholarship granted to roughly seventy students nationwide who have done extensive public and community service, are dedicated to a career in government or other public service vocation, and have evidenced exceptional leadership potential and communication skills.

After graduation, Favreau hopes to add to his already impressive body of work in public and community service. "I'm hoping to possibly work press on John Kerry's presidential campaign when I graduate, then go to law school and into public service after that," says Favreau of his future plans.

The selection process for the valedictorian at Holy Cross differs from many other colleges in that it is not based solely upon grade point average and class rank. Gontarz says that in March, the registrar is contacted to get the names of the top thirty students in the class. This year, she says, thirty-two were contacted. The students are then contacted, congratulated, and invited to submit a five minute speech and a list of their awards and activities at Holy Cross to the Valedictorian Selection Committee--made up of deans Freije and Peterson, professors West and Murphy, members Justin Kiczek '03 and Heather Petersen '03, and chair Cara Gontarz '03.

Gontarz says this year seventeen of the thirty-two students submitted speeches, making for an especially strong field of candidates. The selection process consisted of each candidate presenting his or her speech to the committee, which then chose a final candidate and delivered the name to Dean Ainley for approval.