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Student body president had students’ well-being in mind

Texas native stayed active with football, basketball and more

Published: June 1, 2023   

By Anthony Reiter
Special to Arkansas Catholic

Courtesy Giovanni Vargas

Giovanni Vargas runs the ball against Little Rock’s Hall High School Oct. 8, 2021. Subiaco Academy won the game 50-26.

Courtesy Giovanni Vargas

Giovanni Vargas runs the ball against Little Rock’s Hall High School Oct. 8, 2021. Subiaco Academy won the game 50-26.

Giovanni Vargas, a senior at Subiaco Academy, looks back on his time as a Trojan as one of the most formative times of the student body president’s young life.

Originally from Fort Worth, Texas, Vargas’ journey to Subiaco was unexpected.

“It was a really strange series of events. Just a bunch of happy accidents, I guess,” Vargas said. After visiting Subiaco for summer camps as a child, he was given an opportunity to interview for a scholarship by SpringBoard USA, which helps students from low-income families go to boarding schools.

Vargas said, “We came up here to shadow (at the school) and there was this kind of a surreal experience. … There was sort of an art to how everything just works around here, such as having monks as teachers. Guys living on campus from around the world, from places like Turkey to South Korea. It was just a whole lot of factors where it’s like ‘I can’t get this if I stay at home.’ It’s the special things about this place that just make it even more attractive than it might already be in terms of just being a beautiful campus.”

After shadowing the campus, Vargas found out that SpringBoard USA would cover his entire tuition. While Vargas had planned to go to a Catholic high school in Texas with his friends, he decided that it was the best decision to attend Subiaco.

Since arriving, Vargas has been heavily involved.

“I took my senior photos yesterday and there was a part where me and the photographer were talking. We thought it would be easier if we took pictures with the props on the sports that I haven’t played,” he said.

Vargas played football, basketball, wrestling, soccer and track. Along with being a star athlete and student body president, he is a member of the school’s well-being committee. The committee started Vargas’ sophomore year to look out for students’ physical and mental health.

When asked what motivates him to be an active leader, Vargas said it’s “wanting to leave an impact in different parts of the community.”

“Being student body president, obviously there are some stresses that come with that but honestly I don’t mind because I know people will listen to me, what I say, and I always want to hear people and their opinions on things,” he said.

In the sports world, Vargas has been very energetic for as long as he can remember.

“I’ve always been an active kid. I have always just liked doing something. If I’m not doing something, I feel like I’m wasting my time,” he said.

Vargas plans to attend Texas Tech University in the fall to study supply chain management. He wants to stay involved in his local parish through lectoring and volunteering.

In May his focus was completing high school and cherishing every moment with his classmates. 

“It’s kind of weird,” Vargas said, “You’re happy that it’s over, but you don’t want it to be over.”

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