Paul Konkol is a member of the Cathedral Prep Class of 1984. Before choosing to attend Cathedral Prep he was planning on attending Kanty Prep, but with the closing down of the school, he was given the option to be accepted into Cathedral Prep. After choosing to attend Prep he knew this was the right decision for him to get a great education. One thing he learned while at Cathedral Prep was how to work together and see different people trying to achieve the same goals. Konkol’s freshman class included almost 400 students, and he remembers all the freshmen having to sit on the balcony in the auditorium and cramming in for all the rallyies.
Konkol is a big sports fan and he explained why he likes his favorite teams, Penn State and the Miami Dolphins.
“I had a brother-in-law that worked as a physical therapist for the Miami Dolphins,” Konkol said. “I had the opportunity to go to Dolphins training camp while he was working and hang out with the team. [I] ran around getting water bottles and shagging balls while kickers like Garo Yepremian practiced.”
He has been to many different sporting events, but he said attending Penn State whiteout football games are his favorite.
“[It is] hands down the most energetic and electric environment hanging out with over 100,000 friends,” he said.
One of Konkol’s favorite players of all time is legendary quarterback from the Dolphins, Dan Marino. He also likes players with comeback stories like James Connor and Brian Milne.
Konkol’s favorite memories from attending Prep are the stories created with friends, faculty, and staff. When he first came to Prep was when football coach Mina George came to Prep, and he helped build the football program to what it is today. Konkol loved attending football games and being rowdy in the student section with his fellow classmates.
Konkol loves his daughters, and he has a couple of things he loves to with them.
“I love helping my daughters tackle a project or accomplish a goal,” he said. “Getting to see them experience the satisfaction of accomplishment and pride they have for what they did.”
After graduating from Cathedral Prep, Konkol attended Penn State Behrend and Main Campus. He started in college working towards engineering, switched to computer science, and then found his major in mathematics. Konkol is currently a manager of Business Development for Ameridrives. At Ameridrives, they make large driveshafts for industrial applications like steel mills, power plants, and petrochemical refineries.
Paul Konkol is proud to be a Cathedral Prep alumni and be a part of the brotherhood. He represents how a Cathedral Prep man is and how someone should be in life with the hard work and dedication he has. He is a great role model and how a man of Prep should be.
