LATROBE, PA – Saint Vincent College president Father Paul R. Taylor, O.S.B., has announced that five high school students will be awarded scholarships to Saint Vincent College as a result of their performance in the College’s 42nd annual Wimmer Scholarship Competition.
As the first-place finisher in the Scholarship Competition, Jonah Weaver, a senior at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School, has been awarded a four-year, full-tuition, room and board scholarship valued at more than $200,000.
Four students have been awarded four-year, full-tuition scholarships, valued at more than $150,000, by virtue of their performance in the competition, including Silvana Rocco, of Upper St. Clair; Maddux Radosevic, of Kansas City, MO; Juliana Workman, of Frederick, MD; and Aaron Grant, of Squirrel Hill.
This year’s competition drew 63 entrants.
Jonah Weaver
Jonah Weaver, of Danville, is a senior at the Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School. He is a member of theDanville High School 4GD Esports team and a four-year member of the Danville High School Cross Country team of which he was co-captain in 2022. During the same year, the team placed second at the PIAA District IV Championships and was runner-up at the PIAA State Championship meet. Jonah is also a four-year member of the Danville High School track and field team.
Jonah was the co-founder and former president of the Gender and Sexualities Alliance at Danville and is a member of the National Honors Society at Pennsylvania Leadership Charter School—University Scholars Program.
He volunteers at the Montour County Historical Society and works at the Thomas Beaver Free Library in Danville. Jonah enjoys working at the library, learning about flags and making music in his spare time.
Jonah is the son of Paul and Karol Weaver. He will study history, concentrating in public history, at Saint Vincent College.
Silvana Rocco
Silvana Rocco is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She is currently a homeschooled student who is pursuing her associate degree in Paralegal Studies at the Community College of Allegheny County. She will graduate in May 2023. Silvana is also a member of the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society, a two-year college honor society, and earned Summa Cum Laude recognition three times from the National Latin Exam.
Silvana is a member of the Upper St. Clair High School Varsity Rifle Team and a member of the WindEnsemble as the first chair bassoon. She is involved in many activities at St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Mount Lebanon including the choir, polyphone schola and St. Martin’s table, a community fellowship dinner. In addition, Silvana volunteers yearly for the fish fry at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Carnegie.
In her spare time, Silvana enjoys researching various theological and philosophical questions, composing music, and reading. She serves as a lifeguard in Upper St. Clair Township.
Silvana is the daughter of Pasquale and Susan Rocco. She will study Philosophy and Theology at Saint Vincent College and plans to participate in the Benedictine Leadership Studies program.
Maddux Radosevic
Maddux is a senior at Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri. A member of the National Honor Society, Maddux has taken numerous AP level courses with one of his favorites being Latin; he is a two-time National Latin Exam gold medalist.
He is a member of the varsity baseball team, part of the school choir and received a 4th and 2nd place finish at the state finals for speech and debate where he competes in the Radio Speaking competition, and he earned the Degree of Distinction from the National Speech and Debate Organization. Maddux has also earned a gold medal at the Missouri State Vocal Solo Competition and an Honorable Mention in the National Young Arts Foundation Competition, placing him among the top 18 high school classical singers in the nation.
Maddux volunteers as an assistant basketball coach at Saint Thomas More Catholic Grade School and referees grade school games in the Kansas City area. With hopes to pursue a career in sports broadcasting, he is a PA announcer for both basketball and baseball games in addition to radio broadcasting for the Kansas City Knights baseball club during the summer. He enjoys spending time with his family, going to Mass, watching sports and playing board games.
Maddux is the son of Martin and Lori Radosevic. He will study Sports and Media at Saint Vincent College while playing baseball for the Bearcats.
Juliana Workman
Juliana is a senior at Saint john’s Catholic Prep in Buckeystown, Maryland. She is an AP Scholar with Distinction by the College Board and a recipient of the Archdiocese of Baltimore Distinctive Scholar Award for 2023. Juliana is also a member of the National Honor Society and the President of the National Art Honor Society. She is active in Campus Ministry and the co-founder of the Rainbow Loom Club, which creates bracelets to sell and raise money for various charities.
Juliana has been the goalie for the girls’ lacrosse team for four years and was awarded the school’s Viking Award in 2021 for excelling both on the field and in the classroom. She made All-County Honors in 2022 and received the National Brick-Wall Goalie Club award.
Outside of school, Juliana enjoys volunteering at the Grotto at Mount St. Mary’s assisting with church projects and helping at girls’ camps at the local parish. She has a passion for creating art, animation and writing and has over 10 years of experience playing the piano.
Juliana is the daughter of Nate and Jennifer Workman. Although undecided upon a major at this time, she looks forward to what comes next.
Aaron Grant
Aaron is a senior at Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh. Achieving High Honors status each year, his course work involves numerous classes in both the Honors and Advanced Placement Programs. Aaron is also an active member of the National Honor Society and Quiz Bowl team.
In addition to his academic achievements, Aaron is a letterman in cross country and a member of the Viking baseball team. He plays for the Team All-American travel baseball team and the Squirrel Hill Super-Colt team, which played for the championship in the Pittsburgh City League at PNC park in 2022
Aaron also enjoys singing in the Central Catholic choir and playing the violin in the School String Ensemble. He performed in the cast of the school’s production of “Guys and Dolls” and “Mama Mia” at the Jewish Community Center Theatre. Aaron is a volunteer at the Friendship Circle and participates in various service activities at Central Catholic.
Aaron is the son of Scott Grant and Dr. Laura Gild. He will study engineering at Saint Vincent College while playing baseball for the Bearcats.
The Wimmer Scholarship program is named after Archabbot Boniface Wimmer, who founded Saint Vincent College in 1846 as the first Benedictine college in the U.S. The program recognizes high school students with outstanding academic abilities and encourages them to pursue a quality undergraduate education at Saint Vincent College.
The scholarship winners are based on their performance on a written examination administered at Saint Vincent in December and January. The 63 students who participated in this year’s exam were college-bound and met the academic qualifications of a minimum 3.75 GPA, as well as a documented SAT score of 1,300 or above or a minimum ACT score of 28. Students with no documented SAT or ACT scores were eligible to sit for the exam if they held a 4.0 GPA and have successfully completed six AP/college courses.
This is the 42nd year of the Wimmer Scholarship Competition.
Saint Vincent College is a four-year, coeducational, Catholic, liberal arts and sciences college sponsored by the Benedictine monks of Saint Vincent Archabbey. A diverse student population of undergraduate and graduate students hails from 31 U.S. states/territories and eight foreign countries.
Saint Vincent College’s approach to education is rooted in a core curriculum that provides all students with a broad-based education which provides a breadth of knowledge in the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, mathematics, philosophy and theology. This interdisciplinary view of that knowledge provides students with the skills to become life-long learners and leaders in their field.
PHOTO 1: Jonah Weaver
PHOTO 2: Silvana Rocco
PHOTO 3: Maddux Radosevic
PHOTO 4: Juliana Workman
PHOTO 5: Aaron Grant