June 10, 2026

Two Pope Francis Preparatory School students earn prestigious four-year military scholarships

REGIONAL
Staff report

Joseph Slattery (left) and Aidan O’Neill, Pope Francis Class of 2026, pose for a picture at Awards Night May 20. Slattery was awarded the Air Force ROTC High School Scholarship. O’Neill was awarded the Naval ROTC Scholarship.

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Pope Francis Preparatory School 2026 graduates Aidan O’Neill of Monson and Joseph Slattery of Hampden have each earned highly competitive four-year military scholarships. O’Neill, who will attend the Virginia Military Institute, was awarded the Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) Marine Option Scholarship and a Call to Duty Scholarship. Slattery, who will attend Texas A&M University, earned an Air Force ROTC High School Scholarship (AFROTC HASSP) and the Patriot Scholarship.

Both scholarships, which total close to a half million dollars, provide full tuition assistance and leadership development opportunities for students pursuing commissions as military officers upon graduation from college. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, leadership experience, athletic performance, physical fitness, character, and commitment to military service.

Both O’Neill and Slattery have committed to serving in the military for a minimum of four years upon graduating from college.

The pair met at St. Mary Academy in Longmeadow in grade seven. Both achieved officer leadership rank as second lieutenants in the Civil Air Patrol, U.S. Air Force Auxiliary, serving with the Connecticut Wing’s 103^rd Composite Squadron. In addition to extra-curricular activities and athletics, they both were members of the Christian Leadership Class at Pope Francis Preparatory School.

“Pope’s Class of 2026 embraced the Pope Francis Prep way of life in so many spectacular ways – from selflessly serving others in our community, to deepening their Catholic faith and sharing their faith with others, to achieving at a very high level academically, to captivating audiences with their outstanding musical and theatrical performances, to winning local and state championships in several sports – this was a very talented class; a special class,” said Paul Harrington, Ph.D., head of school.

Marcus Tran, Akosua Ahenkang, and Oliver Tran will attend MIT in the fall. (IObserve photo/courtesy of Wendy Harrington)

“As the Class of 2026 travels their separate ways this summer and into the fall, we look forward to staying connected and learning about their next impressive accomplishments,” he said.

The Class of 2026 was made up of 96 students. Three of those graduates are heading to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the fall: Akosua Ahenkang, Marcus Tran, and Oliver Tran.

To hear more about the Pope Francis Preparatory School’s Class of 2026, tune in Saturday to “Real to Reel,” at 7 p.m. on WWLP-22 News.