The St. Thomas Academic Awards Assembly is an annual celebration of emphatic scholastic breakthroughs and fervent mentorship in lockstep with the proven performance of charity and compassion.

Valedictorian Campbell Brown and salutatorian David Neason are at the vanguard of achievement, demonstrating significant depth and scope of responsibility and embodying the school’s values and goals. Brown will continue his career at the University of Texas at Austin and Neason at Texas A&M University.

Previously in the academic year, Brown and William Wittman ’24 earned finalist acclaim in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship Program.

Ben Lauzon ‘24 received the Rev. Carl Allnoch Athletic Memorial Trophy for Excellence in Academics. The two-sport student-athlete was a significant contributor to Eagle Cross Country’s 2023 state championship, the program’s first since 2004.  Lauzon will attend Texas A&M.

Simon Pham ‘24 was selected for the Rev. Albert R. Gaelens, CSB Award, given to the senior student who best embodies the school motto of Teach Me Goodness, Discipline, and Knowledge. Pham will study at Texas A&M.

Pham’s remarkable St. Thomas career included generating nearly $150,000 in raffle ticket sales for Round Up, the Basilian tradition that dates for nearly a century and contributes directly to the school’s tuition assistance program. Pham set a mind-spinning individual sales record of $88,080 in the latest student entrepreneur enterprise that cashed a shock-to-the-system $922,415.

Aaron Blackman ‘24 was given the Rev. Ronald G. Schwenzer, CSB Campus Ministry Award for most exemplifying the Man of St. Thomas motto of Faith, Service, and Leadership. Blackman’s college choices are Texas Tech University, Houston Christian University, Liberty University, and Dallas Baptist University. He was unable to participate in the awards event due to an Eagle Track & Field competition.

The Principal’s Service and Leadership Award was given to dual-sport scholar-athlete Luke Edgecomb ‘24 who previously accepted a football scholarship to Northern Arizona University.

Obinna Umeh ‘24 was awarded the prestigious Goetzmann Writing Prize, named for St. Thomas Hall of Honor member William H. Goetzmann, Ph.D. ‘48, a Pulitzer Prize-winning historian and emeritus professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin.

Campbell, Neason, Lauzon, Pham, and Wittman also gained permanent positions in the acclaimed St. Thomas Club – champion scholars with a minimum 4.0 grade point average for seven consecutive semesters. Other students from the Class of 2024 to earn that exclusive prestige include William Bone, Nicolas Borin, Lyle Clanton, Aidan Clark, Noa Clifford, Jacob Davidson, Michael De Jesus, Lucas De Meritt, Frank DeJarnette, Levi Finkelman, Owen Hartley, Thomas Higginbotham, Patrick McCarthy, Sam Moore, Daniel Neason, Samuel Peters, Adrian Pruneda, Deldon Sivakumar, Benjamin Temple, Stephen Visintine, Jake Wakil, and Coli Wu.

In addition to Brown and Wittman’s National Merit distinction, Najja Mosley ‘25 and Edward Bocock ‘25 were selected for the National African American Recognition Program, and nine St. Thomas scholars were named to the College Board’s National Hispanic Recognition Program.

Eric Curran ‘25
Juan Pablo Fonseca ‘25
Thomas Higginbotham ‘24
Dylan Martinez ‘25
Tristan Moguel ‘25
Jayden Morfin ‘24
Pablo Ramirez ‘24
Nicolas Requenes ‘25
Michael Rodriguez ‘24

The 2024 Baccalaureate Mass and Commencement Ceremony is May 25 at the Co-Cathedral of The Sacred Heart.

Catholic. Basilian. Teaching Goodness, Discipline and Knowledge since 1900.