Senior Patrick Drahman is seen as the dependable ‘go-to guy’ at St. Michael’s

Patrick Drahman does it all. And he manages to do it with a smile on his face.

Drahman is among 130 students at St. Michael’s Academy, which is a school housed in a large, secluded red-brick building atop a hill. He’s a member of a graduating class of six.

Drahman has given the past 13 years to creating community and serving his school in whatever way he can.

“He’s everyone’s go-to guy,” said Sister Michael Marie, who has taught Drahman since eighth grade. “Whenever anyone needs anything, they know they can count on him.”

St. Michael’s requires 30 hours of community service a year in order to be eligible for graduation. Drahman has given 266 hours during his senior year alone. In his high school career, his reported volunteer hours total 864. All while maintaining a solid GPA.

“I just really like the kind of volunteering I do, so I don’t go for the bare minimum,” he said.

Drahman began by running the lights and sound for the drama program in seventh grade, and has since grown to running them for any event on campus, such as graduations or talent shows.

“What sets Pat apart is his personality. He is friendly and helpful and he always goes the extra distance,” Sister Michael Marie said.

For Drahman, immersing himself in St. Michael’s is a family tradition. Both of his older siblings graduated from the school and volunteered at it. Drahman’s father has worked on the grounds for the past 25 years, and Drahman follows in his footsteps. During the past five summers he has worked at St. Michael’s assisting the maintenance staff.

When Drahman is not busy with school, he is spending time with his family.

A little more than seven years ago, his older sister became sick with Lyme disease, which has kept her bedridden. Drahman has since taken it upon himself to be the light in her life.

If he could have any superpower, he said, it would be to make her healthy again. But his personality alone is already making a change.

“I just crack jokes and make her laugh, and I didn’t realize I was doing anything to make a difference, really, until she told some nuns about it and they told me, so then I decided to keep it up,” he said.

Because her sleeping hours are not always regular, Drahman will stay up through the night with her, talking or doing homework. He goes to her for homework questions.

To Drahman, what he does is nothing special; he’s just hanging out with his big sister.

This speaks to his humble and generous nature, according to Sister Michael Marie.

Despite the severity of his sister’s condition, he has chosen to remain optimistic.

“She’s always positive, and to see that is so inspiring to me, so I take that from her and try to be more positive,” Drahman said. “I wish she wasn’t sick, but there’s still good that comes out of it.”

After graduation, Drahman is not sure what he is going to do. He’ll work on the grounds again, and mentioned multiple projects he hopes to accomplish, like organizing a closet for the drama department at the school he will have since graduated from.

In the long term, he hopes to work in the film or photography industries.

For now, though, he is content being the go-to guy at St. Michael’s, and letting his light shine in whatever way possible.

Morgan Scheerer is a student at Gonzaga University.