Meet Gavin Zavorski: 2020 Leadership Scholarship Winner

Feasterville-Trevose, Pennsylvania  
Law and Society Major 

1. Why did you want to come to DeSales? 

First and foremost, it was baseball for me. I really like the baseball program; Coach Neiman is great. Other than that, it’s the only place I came to and instantly felt like I was at home. I was at the campus on my first visit and it was an instant feeling of comfort. It was the most fun I had on a visit, and I felt like I knew the place right away. It just seemed perfect for me. 

2. What was the focus of your essay? 

I attended William Penn Charter after middle school. It was a private school with kids from all different zip codes. My first year there was extremely difficult. I really didn’t want to be there. I had to meet a whole new set of kids; I wasn’t very good at it at first.

It took me about two years to finally go, ‘Alright, I’m here. I might as well make the best of my time. I might as well be the guy I want to be.’ I started going out, talking to people more, and making friends. It really made the high school experience great for me. I ended up loving my time there. I was thankful for that experience because it showed me that if I want to, I can do a lot of things that are going to make me happy and fulfilled rather than stay in a cocoon my whole life.  

3. How will you continue your leadership skills at DeSales? 

One of the big things I was involved in in high school was Athletes Helping Athletes. It’s an organization that takes kids with special needs and disabilities and it brings them to be a part of your sports team for a day. I made a lot of really close connections doing that. It’s the kind of thing that makes you realize you have to be better than yourself sometimes. Whenever the time comes, I think it’s something that I can continue here. 

4. Were you nervous coming to campus during a pandemic?

No, not at all. I was honestly thrilled to come to campus more than anything. A lot of my friends actually ended up not going to the college they applied to because it was all online. I was so excited to be able to come here. It was surreal to be able to be on campus and meet a bunch of people. 

5. Any advice for future Leadership Scholarship applicants?

In terms of being a leader, just being yourself is more important than anything. Everyone is their own person and people gravitate toward people that are true to themselves. If you show that you are honest and you are who you are, people respect that. 

The Leadership Scholarship is a full-tuition scholarship offered to six students who have shown outstanding leadership in their high school careers and who plan to continue to develop those skills at DeSales. The deadline to apply is Tuesday, December 1, 2020.