Senior Callum Gwyn has lived his whole life in the same house in Portland, Oregon. 

It’s also home to his three older brothers, who are an important part of his identity. 

As all three of them attended La Salle before him, his decision to attend was less of a choice and more of a tradition. Still, Gwyn is glad that this is where he ended up, he said. 

“It gives me the opportunity to celebrate my faith in a way I would not be able to do at public school,” he said. 

As a Catholic, Gwyn’s faith is another impactful aspect of his life.

“A majority of the communities I’m a part of are based around my faith in the Catholic Church,” Gwyn said. “That’s where a vast majority of my family friends were found.”

As a result, Gwyn chooses to surround himself with people who act as a reminder of his beliefs. 

“When I’m around my friends, especially my family friends, I can feel God working through them and blessing my life,” he said. 

Gwyn describes his family dynamic as “ever changing.” While his two other brothers will occasionally visit — one still being in college and the other living on his own — usually, it’s just him, his second oldest brother, Liam, and his mom and dad. 

Growing up as the youngest of four siblings “kind of sucked in the beginning,” as he was frequently the subject of their frequent teasing and roughhousing, Gwyn said. 

Now, they’re all friends — even though they still tease him. “I can do it back though,” he said.

He added that following in the footsteps of his brothers at La Salle made a positive impact on his high school experience.

“I came in knowing my freshman year I was friends with a whole bunch of the seniors,” Gwyn said. “It’s almost like having a bunch more siblings, just because they’re always around the house and stuff. It’s pretty cool.” 

In his third year of art with Ms. Cha Asokan, he is currently taking Advanced Art 3D, one of his favorite classes because of the “freedom and the ability to express your own creativity and put your thoughts into something that matters,” he said. 

Throughout the course of high school, Gwyn has changed and improved in certain ways as a student, he said. 

“I got a lot better at taking notes, and I think I’ve gotten a lot better at talking to people, especially adults,” he said. 

In terms of accomplishments, Gwyn’s most proud of the impact he’s had on others. 

“I’d like to say I’ve been a pretty good mark on my church and school community, mostly a positive one, and it affected people’s lives in a good way,” he said. 

This year, Gwyn’s goal is to be friends with as many people as he can and “finish it out on a strong note,” he said.

In the future, Gwyn hopes to pursue a career as a therapist, specifically for children, and later become a teacher. “I just want to work with kids,” he said. 

Although Gwyn is still undecided on where he wants to go to college, he’s looking at schools in Montana, as well as Boise State University and Oregon State University Cascades because he likes the idea of living somewhere near the mountains, but close enough to remain in touch with things.