The National Catholic Committee on Scouting (NCCS), through the Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship Fund, has awarded seven service scholarships totaling $20,000 nationwide in 2019. Patrick Villaseñor, a member of San Francisco Solano Catholic Church, was named the first place $5,000 recipient.
His passion for serving others has been evident throughout his scouting years, especially through his Eagle Scout Project, “Building Awareness of the Water Crisis in Uganda.” Patrick led a team in building a hand water pump to demonstrate and educate the community about the lack of clean water in Uganda. His goal was to encourage people to get involved by building water wells through the organization Wells of Life.
Patrick’s love of service includes organizing book drives for charity, including one for Camp Pendleton Marine Base. In addition to his Eagle Scout Award, he has earned six Eagle Palms, 48 merit badges and been elected to Order of the Arrow, the National Honor Society of the BSA.
At his church, Patrick has been an altar server for over eight years and volunteers at an additional parish to help with Lenten Fish fries. When eligible he plans to join the Knights of Columbus.
At Santa Margarita Catholic High School, Patrick, a member of the National Honor Society, not only excelled academically but also earned the Coeur a Coeur (Heart to Heart) School Service Award by providing more than 120 hours of service in addition to the school’s required hours. He was chosen to represent his school at Model United Nation Conferences in Berkeley, Philadelphia, and Prague, Czech Republic and served as Chairperson of the South Orange Conference. He plans to attend either the University of Exeter or Durham University in the United Kingdom.