Jack White -
 2009 Kevin Higgins College Scholarship Grant Recipient

San Diego, CA (October 20, 2009) - One of the questions asked to Kevin Higgins College Scholarship applicants is, “What role has rugby played in your life?” Benedictine College freshman, Jack White, included the following in his response. “Rugby has taught me the importance of doing the right thing even when no one is watching. I’ve learned to take responsibility for myself and accept the challenge of pushing myself in order to succeed. Most importantly, rugby has evoked an irreplaceable passion and camaraderie that has driven me to never leave the sport and to not only play as long as possible, but a commitment to help it grow.”

Rugby is not a new sport to Jack as he’s been handling a rugby ball since he was a toddler. At the age of eight he was playing in an organized league for 6-14 year olds. In 6^th grade he was not only taking part in some Colorado Youth Rugby events for freshmen and sophomores but impressing the older kids with his skills and determination. He continued to play for the Aurora Saracens while in high school and although injury caused him to miss his sophomore season, Jack was captain and MVP of the Saracens his junior and senior years.

Jack was chosen for the Eastern Rockies Rugby Football Union Select Side in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2009 at the flyhalf position. He captained his team to 3^rd and 2^nd place finishes at the high school championships in 2008 and 2009, respectively. He earned a spot on the 2009 Rocky Mountain Challenge All-Tournament team and culminated his high school career by being named the 2009 Colorado High School Player of the Year. His year was capped off with his participation in the USA U20s Development Camp this past July.

Jack’s coach at Saracens, David Farmer, describes a young man who any coach would love to have in his or her program. “As great as Jack’s rugby skills are, it’s the leadership and inspiration that he brings that are even more important to dramatically changing our level of play on game day. Maybe even more impressive than that though is what he does in holding our diverse group of players together off the pitch and between games. He’s a trusted friend, advisor and leader to all. He picks up and drops off our kids that come from single/no parent households, helps teammates with studies and is our top recruiter.”

Rugby is just one of many sports that Jack excels at. He earned 1^st Team All-League, League MVP and All-State Honorable Mention at the quarterback position. He was also named 1^st Team All League as a punter. He was All-City wrestling champion at 160 lbs. in 2005. He also was on the varsity track team.

But sports is just a small part of Jack White’s makeup. He was the Salutatorian of his class with a GPA of 4.59. The Boettcher Foundation awards 27 full ride academic scholarships to keep the best and brightest Colorado High School seniors in Colorado. Jack was a Boettcher Scholar Semi Finalist. He earned enough AP credits in high school to enter college as a sophomore. He is a member of the National Honor Society and two-year president of Mu Alpha Theta Mathematics Society. He’s earned an Academic Letter every year in high school and competed at the state level of Future Business Leaders of America.

And Jack still finds the time and energy to give back to his community. He is a Spirit Team Leader, Eucharistic Minister and Confirmation Sponsor at Queen of Peace Church. He spent two weeks of his summer vacation building homes and churches in rural Mexico. He tutors math at various central Aurora high schools. He was also a counselor and leader for four years at the Camp for Champs football camp for young kids in Aurora.

Jack was also a recipient of the Quest Challenge Award. Quest awards a cash prize to recognize and encourage youth’s contribution to community service. Upon winning the award, Jack donated the money back to the charity he was working with, St. Andrews Soup Kitchen, in Aurora. Jack still works there one full day a week during the summer.

As you might expect, Jack is fitting in well with his new team at Benedictine College, where he hopes to earn a degree that will allow him options to go into business or become a teacher. He has brought a lot of talent to the team and has already earned a starting position in the backline. His leadership has already been noticed and team leaders see him as a possible captain in the next year or two.

Congratulations Jack on being named a 2009 Kevin Higgins College Scholarship recipient.