Alumni of Cathedral Prep hold a special role in the Prep community. Their legacy is passed on in the form of traditions that current students practice today. They set a precedent and standard for other generations to follow. Students today can learn from alumni experiences and look up to the legacies they’ve created.
Matt Szparaga, class of 2018, is a prime example of an alumni to look up to. He chose to go to Prep because of the opportunity to be a part of the brotherhood at the time. He had a lot of friends also planning on going to Prep, all of whom contributed to the appealing atmosphere that Prep offered.
Szparaga played soccer for Prep, which was a formative and treasured part of his high school career. He was also a focal member of the Rally Crew. Along with soccer and Rally Crew, Prep also provided other special memories for him.
“At Prep, it felt like everyone was actually your brother,” Szparaga said. “You could always rely on them. Going to sporting events and supporting fellow classmates in the student section were some of my favorite high school memories with my brothers.”
For college, Szparaga graduated from Gannon University. Currently, he works in the insurance industry at Erie Insurance in the underwriting department. His time at Prep aided in his life after high school, especially thanks to his teachers.
“While I was at Prep I had two really special teachers who helped me,” Szparaga shared. “Mr. Achille and Mr. Daeschner were both hard on me because they knew I could succeed in life. Mr. Daeschner once pulled me aside and taught me how to study a certain way. His method for studying is what I used throughout all of college and now at work. With those two teachers’ help and guidance, I learned skills to help me in high school and in life afterwards. Looking back at it, without the lessons I learned while I was at Prep, I don’t know if I would be where I am today.”
During his time at Prep, Szparaga accomplished an achievement that not many high schoolers achieve. During his senior year, he teamed up with a classmate to create an app that locates school shooters during a shooting. They pitched their idea to a few business sharks. One of the sharks was a Prep alumni who ended up investing in the app Szparaga and his classmate proposed.
“We were able to create the app and even got the chance to have many meetings with different school districts, law enforcement, and hospital directors,” Szparaga added. “On the day of our App Store release, we unfortunately lost our app due to an unforeseen competitor. While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped for, I was still so grateful to have the opportunity to share our ideas. It was nice to be taken seriously as a high schooler.”
The Cathedral Prep Women’s Soccer Team is a new, yet significant, part of Szparaga’s life now. For the past two seasons he has been a coach for this soccer team. This past season, Szparaga and the Women’s Soccer Team had an outstanding run, going all the way to the state championship.
“When I played soccer for Prep, I always had a strong passion to be a Rambler,” Szparaga said. “When I got the opportunity to join the coaching staff for the Women’s Team, it was a privilege and an honor. Prep means so much to me, and I wanted to give back to the Prep community. I couldn’t think of a better way to do this than joining the Prep soccer community again, this time as a coach.”
It’s clear that Szparaga’s time as a Rambler paid off in his life after high school. However, just because he isn’t a student, doesn’t mean he’s not a Rambler anymore. This aspect of Prep community translates to all alumni. Current students at Cathedral Prep have traditions and legacies that have been passed down from generation to generation. This couldn’t be done without the continued involvement of alumni in all areas of Prep life.
