by Mr. Daniel Warner, VP for Institutional Advancement – St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute, Buffalo NY
Dion Anderson graduated this summer from St. Joseph’s Collegiate with the class of 2023. He came to St. Joe’s from NativityMiguel Middle School of Buffalo, which serves students from extremely economically depressed situations.
Dion tells us he had his eyes set on St. Joe’s from a young age, recognizing the unique academic and athletic opportunities he would have as a student. Like many graduates of NativityMiguel, he was able to achieve this goal with the tuition assistance provided by the St. John Baptist de La Salle Fund.
Head Coach Mike Corona says “Dion is the ideal definition of a scholar-athlete. He has striven to transform himself from his first day as a freshman to his final day as a senior, working hard to successfully improve his GPA every year while balancing a three-sport career with all the practice and training demands that accompanied those sports.”
As a four-year member of the football program, Dion consistently contributed toward the team’s success under Coach Corona. In his final year, he finished his football career as a captain, all-Catholic league honoree, and team MVP. He was also a clutch performer on the basketball team and was the top defender on a league-champion lacrosse team. He also took time to help mentor many younger student-athletes both on and off the field, which is perhaps his most proud accomplishment to date.
Dion will be continuing his academic and athletic pursuits at Alfred University. We will undoubtedly witness his continued success there and throughout his adult life as an alumnus of St. Joe’s.
THE ST. JOHN BAPTIST DE LA SALLE FUND seeks to ensure that a Lasallian education is available and accessible to those students most in need. Through an initial program of student sponsorship and a growing program of grants to identified schools, the Fund provides tuition assistance for students to attend a Lasallian school. With your support, we are now providing $845,000 annually for our students in need. All are welcome to join the Brothers and their Partners-in-Mission in this specially dedicated scholarship fund which continues to grow each year.