Senior Kenneth “Kacey” Cognevich, son of Katie and John Cognevich and an alumnus of Stuart Hall School for Boys, has been named a Gabelli Presidential Scholar at Boston College. This honor, reserved for just 18 incoming freshmen each year, includes a full-tuition scholarship and fully funded summer programs sponsored by the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program. Over the next four years, Cognevich will participate in service-learning projects, international experiences, and professional internships. Gabelli Presidential Scholars represent the top 0.04 percent of Boston College’s incoming class. This fall, Cognevich will enroll at Boston College as a finance major with a pre-med concentration.

At Jesuit, Cognevich has distinguished himself academically and in his co-curricular pursuits. He participates in the National Honor Society, and he received the Brandeis Book Award in May 2024 before being named a National Merit Commended Scholar. He has also been nominated as an alternate Stamps Scholar, a nationally prestigious merit scholarship program and community that helps students become meaningful leaders throughout society.

Cognevich’s leadership spans multiple campus organizations. He serves as senior class president on the Student Council Executive Board, advises the board of Mu Alpha Theta, and belongs to the Sodality of the Immaculate Conception. In Student Ministry, he has served as lector and extraordinary minister of Holy Communion. He also mentors younger students as a big brother in the Jesuit Big Brother Program.

His commitment to service extends into the community. He works as an attendant at Krewe de Camp’s summer camp for children with developmental disabilities, serves as a Scholar/Fellow in the Ochsner Health Star Program, and volunteers at Grace at the Greenlight, where he helps prepare breakfast for the unhoused. He also leads the Hams for Fams Christmas Meal Drive as president and executive coordinator.

“If you were to Google the Profile of a Jesuit Graduate at Graduation, Kacey’s picture would be the first result. He is truly a man of faith and a man for others who is always seeking God’s greater glory. Aside from his many accolades and achievements, what impresses me the most about Kacey is his character—especially his humility and patience. He’ll be missed here at Jesuit, but I have no doubts that he will excel at Boston College and beyond.” – Roger Bacon, Director of Evangelization

Above all, Jesuit relentlessly pursues God’s greater glory. While students’ academic accolades reflect the school’s mission, they are not the mission itself. They instead signify that Blue Jays are becoming the men that they were made to be: men of faith and men for others.

Alongside celebrating students who attain these academic accomplishments, Jesuit also highlights graduating seniors who are named winners of highly selective merit-based national scholarship competitions. Click here to read about more of these students.