Photo Illustration by Hunter Franklin ’19 | Kinner Patel ’18 poses for a photo in the Robinson Gymnasium. Kinner Patel, who plays Volleyball and is a key club member was nominated as a runner up for Man of the Year this year.

By Chris Agnone ’18

THE ROUNDUP

For Kinner Patel ’18, school work, sports and service are all equally making him into the epitome of a Man for Others, on and off Campus.

Patel came from BASIS middle school, a school that did not typically send students to Brophy.

“Kids from my middle school did not typically go to Brophy,” Patel said. “I was lucky to know some kids in the class of 2017 who went and loved it, as well as knowing a friend in San Francisco who went to Bellarmine College Preparatory, which ended up being the main factor in me choosing Brophy.”

Patel said that he had always treasured athletics in his life before Brophy, and while that stayed at the forefront of his life, he learned to embrace Brophy’s mantra of Man for Others through service and academics.

“I was always athletics-oriented and I started playing basketball my freshman and sophomore year,” Patel said. “Around the end of my sophomore year that focus shifted and I joined Key Club and found leadership positions in Key Club.”

Patel is currently president of the service club and began a volleyball career in his junior year that he is currently still involved in.

“Kinner fully applies himself to everything he is involved with on and off campus,” Bennett Houck ’18, teammate and friend, said. “On and off the court he is consistently giving max effort.”

Patel is very grateful for all the influential faculty in his life at school, but is explicitly thankful for Mrs. Susan Maynard.

“She challenged me to think in about bigger picture stuff, but also how to write and speak with emotion and passion,” Patel said. “She helped me to combine all the lessons I have learned at Brophy and synthesize it in a paper or an article or a speech.”

Mrs. Maynard spoke eagerly of her approval and affection for Patel in and out of the classroom.

“Kinner brings a true passion for expanding his understanding of humanity,” Mrs. Maynard said. “I do not think that I have ever heard anything come out of his mouth that was not kind and humane and that did not respect human dignity.”

Mrs. Maynard has enjoyed having Patel in her classroom as well as watching him on the volleyball court.

“He seeks leadership and then he puts his heart into it,” Mrs. Maynard said. “He has a natural proclivity for it.”

In addition to Key Club, Patel also involved himself in immersion and service trips.

“The most memorable trip I was on was the Living the Paschal class in Los Angeles with Mr. Orem and Mr. Ryan,” Patel said. “We focused on gang member rehabilitation in the city.”

Patel said that this helped him open his eyes to how the paschal mystery works and the cycle of suffering, but also redemption in the end.

“That trip began my journey of wanting to actively pursue service in my life a Brophy,” Patel said.  

Patel said that the best aspect of Brophy is the people here.

“The faculty members and students are a huge part of this campus … their passion for what they do and how they go about doing it,” Patel said. “I will be eternally grateful for all the things this community has given me.”