The Power of Relationships

Ask the 2024 Southern Connecticut Conference (SCC) Swimmer of the Year, Owen ’25, which of his many accomplishments he’s most proud of, and his answer might surprise you: earning summa or magma cum laude all three of his Prep years. It’s an honor he says he values more than any race he’s won. 

 

“Academics always come before sports or swimming—that’s what’s going to set you up for the future,” explains Owen, who has verbally committed to swim for Notre Dame after graduation. 

 

A young man of many talents, Owen can be found practicing his viola for the Prep orchestra after he finishes afternoon swim practice, dinner, and homework. For his Prep entrance exam essay, Owen understandably chose to write about the Jesuit ideal of cura personalis. Since then, he believes his Prep experience has delivered on his expectations of opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. 

 

Beyond Prep’s robust athletics program and domination in the pool, Owen lauds the great classes, teachers, and mentors he’s had at Prep. “You honestly develop such a unique relationship between teacher and student here. The teachers are genuinely interested in who you are and your life. They know so much about what they teach…They want to see you succeed, and they want to see you grow as a kid,” he says.

 

“They’re preparing you for life, not just college,” Owen continues, recalling the time a chemistry class on air pressure segued into a lesson on changing a flat tire. “Things like that happen all the time here. That makes me love learning.” The ability to study in the recently renovated lab facilities in the Barrett Science Center is the icing on the cake for Owen, whose academic interests lie in the sciences. “Having such a new high-tech facility makes the quality of learning a lot better,” he explains.

 

Owen appreciates how faith and service are woven into the fabric of daily life at Prep, and he tries to be a man for others himself as an Algebra II and Spanish tutor. “Being here definitely helped me grow a stronger faith… I can confidently say during my time at Fairfield Prep I’ve 100% felt closer to God,” says Owen, who is grateful for the transformative experiences available at Prep and looks forward to continuing that journey through formation opportunities like the Kairos retreat, Prep’s hallmark formation experience. “It’s really amazing to see that the retreats that the school sponsors can do so much to change a person for the better,” he says. 

 

While Prep’s successful swimming and diving team was one of the factors that initially drew Owen to the school—and the structure, friendships, and success he’s found through the program still put swim team at the top his list of his best Prep experiences—that initial connection to Prep was a gateway to so much more. Reflecting on his relationships with everyone from teammates and friends to teachers, counselors, and coaches, Owen says, “I’ve just met so many people here who have completely changed my life.”