Congratulations to senior Kristina Colevas who was recognized by the Catholic Business Network of Northern Virginia (CBN-NOVA) in a short ceremony following the Bishop's Mass of the Holy Spirit at Bishop O'Connell this morning. She is one of four diocesan high school winners of the YES! Award (Youth Exemplifying Service).
Kristina is a valued member of Bishop O'Connell's Fiat Club, a young women’s spiritual and social organization. She has served as an officer for the past few years. According to Ms. Funk, the moderator of the Fiat Club, “Kristina brings compassion, intelligent insights, and a great sense of humor to all of our events. She is a great example of someone who is true to herself, to others, and to Christ.”
Kristina serves as a peer mentor in our Expanded Services program for students with intellectual disabilities. In fact, she gives up one of her class periods to accompany one of our students to his Theology class every day. She lights up when she tells us that when they are together in the Expanded Services room the two enjoy reading prayers together.
She also is a volunteer mentor for our freshman transition program.
Outside of school, Kristina has a personal passion to serve those in need. For example, she logged 216 hours for the Haiti Lifeline Ministries last year, where she traveled with her family to Haiti. She helped with building needs at an orphanage and went on food distribution trips into the mountains outside Port-au-Prince.
Kristina said: “People can contribute to improving the lives of the people in Haiti not just by giving them money, but by learning the culture and giving them the tools that they need to create a thriving community.”
She has also been personally involved in other hands-on projects in the local area. After years of attending a camp sponsored by the Sisters of Life in New York, she expanded her connection with them by lending a hand to fix up a new convent space for the Sisters in D.C. She has painted, installed molding and blinds and waxed floors at a facility at Saint Catherine of Laboure Parish, for these Sisters to live while studying at Catholic University.
She has also supported Missionaries of Charities soup kitchen events and local pro-life projects.
Kristina is also an honors student at Bishop O'Connell and a member of the school's rowing team.
Pictured below (l to r): Assistant Head of School Carl Patton, Head of School Joseph Vorbach, CBN Tyson's Chair and YES! Award Founder Lucia Jason, Anne Colevas (Kristina's mother), Kristina Colevas, President of CBN NOVA Rich Fanelli, and Arlington Diocese Superintendent of Schools, Sister Bernadette McManigal.
