WEST CATHOLIC PREPARATORY HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS GATES MILLENNIUM SCHOLARSHIP
West Catholic Preparatory High School in West Philadelphia is proud to announce that Victor Chen, a member of the school’s class of 2026 has been awarded the prestigious Gates Millenium Scholarship.
Victor attended Saint Francis de Sales Parish School in West Philadelphia. While a student at West Catholic, he participated in several clubs and activities including the Asian Culture Club; Gaming Club; Gardening Club; Student Ambassadors; and Students Run Philly Style. Victor was also a member of the National Honors Society and participated in Lasallian Interact which, assists with homeless outreach.
In addition to being named a Gates Millenium Scholar, Victor was one of the 132 highest-achieving Catholic school seniors recognized by Archbishop Nelson J. Pérez during the 46th Annual Archdiocesan Academic Honors Convocation at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. The convocation honored students ranked in the top 3% of their graduating class from 31 archdiocesan and private Catholic secondary schools across the five-county region.
The Gates Millennium Scholars program, established in 1999, is a 1.6 billion dollar initiative funded by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Background Information on West Catholic Preparatory High School:
West Catholic Preparatory High School has proudly served West and Southwest Philadelphia for over 100 years since opening in the fall of 1916. In 1926, the De La Salle Christian Brothers arrived at what would become West Philadelphia Catholic High School for Boys, then located on 49th Street between Chestnut and Market Streets. In 1989, the Brothers of the Christian Schools (F.S.C.); the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.H.M.); and the Sisters of Saint Joseph (S.S.J.), along with over 1,000 students, merged the Boys and Girls Schools, to become West Philadelphia Catholic High School at the present location of 4501 Chestnut Street.
The school’s primary mission is to prepare each student to face the challenges of everyday life, to embrace leadership positions in society, and to value service in an ever-changing global society.
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Editor’s Note: For information about Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia please visit, aopcatholicschools.org/. For a photo of Victor Chen for publication purposes, please contact the Archdiocese of Philadelphia’s Office for Communications at commof@archphila.org.