Nicholas DePolo

Nicholas DePolo from Malvern, Pennsylvania, has been awarded a $2,500 Emmett J. Doerr Memorial Scout Scholarship. DePolo belongs to Our Mother of Good Counsel Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and is a member of Scouting America Troop 50 in the Chester County Council.

DePolo truly embodies the idea of servant leadership. When asked why volunteering is important to him, he responded, “I choose to volunteer because service is not simply something I do; it is an expression of who I am called to become…. I volunteer because I believe grace is mediated through ordinary acts of faithfulness.”

In service to the Catholic Church at Our Mother of Good Counsel, DePolo volunteered as an Extraordinary Minister of Holy Communion and vacation bible school aide. He earned two of the Catholic Religious Emblems offered by Catholic Scouting America, including the Parvuli Dei and Ad Altare Dei.

DePolo served his community by volunteering with various organizations. His efforts included supporting food kitchens and pantries at St. Isaac Jogues Parish, Ann’s Heart, Safe Harbor, Broad Street Love and Sow Good Now. He also assisted the elderly at Impressions Memory Care and worked with underserved youth and people with disabilities.

At Malvern Preparatory School, DePolo demonstrated extensive leadership and service. He served as president of both the peer counseling and debate groups and held officer positions in robotics, the school newspaper, Model UN and band. His commitment to his school also included French language club, campus ministry and athletic endeavors in baseball and water polo.

In Scouting, DePolo held numerous leadership positions in his troop, including senior patrol leader. He is a member of the Order of the Arrow (OA), Scouting America’s honor society, where he served as an Elangomat. Additionally, he was a crew leader at the Summit Bechtel Reserve High Adventure Base. For his Eagle Scout Project, DePolo led 60 volunteers in the transformation of a shared campus for Ann’s Heart and Trellis for Tomorrow. He raised $5,000 to install privacy fencing, construct a masonry walkway and build specialized compost and tool bins, creating a safer and more functional space for food pantry clients and community gardeners.

DePolo’s outstanding achievements have also been recognized through a Certificate of Congressional Recognition and the United States Marine Corps League Good Citizenship Award.

This year, Catholic Scouting America awarded fifteen service scholarships totaling $40,000 to recognize Catholic Scouts nationwide for outstanding service and leadership in four areas: the Catholic Church, their community, school and Scouting. Since 2005, Catholic Scouting America (NCCS) has awarded a total of $348,000 in scholarships to 146 Scouts nationwide.