Christian Brothers Academy senior Alexander Sanfilippo-Scherer earned an award from the United States Congress.

It was announced last week that Sanfilippo-Scherer earned the Congressional Award Gold Medal, which is achieved through challenging personal benchmarks in service, fitness and personal development.

To earn the medal, Sanfilippo-Scherer completed over 400 hours of voluntary public service, 200 hours of personal development, 200 hours of physical fitness, and five days and four nights of expedition in a new environment.

“I noticed how similar the [award’s] requirements were to CBA’s requirements for graduation, and based on this, I felt the Gold Medal Award was well within reach,” Sanfilippo-Scherer said.

The Academy senior has been heavily involved in food and clothing drives, as well as service immersion trips. He notes that his most impactful experience was his June 2019 trip to the De La Salle Educational Center in Homestead, Florida. He was able to work with the students in the classroom, and even give a fencing tutorial to the young kids.

When the pandemic hit last year, Sanfilippo-Scherer organized a face mask drive to directly benefit the students and families at the De La Salle Educational Center.

He has been a four-year member of the varsity fencing team at the Academy, a sport that he has been playing since he was eight years old. He has also picked up practices of both yoga and meditation during his pursuit of the Congressional Medal.

While he has worked hard to earn this award, Sanfilippo-Scherer has no plans of scaling back his efforts in the service and athletic realms. He has been heavily involved in the Horizons Program’s relationship with CBA, while looking forward to the upcoming winter fencing season.