The $5,000 scholarship, co-sponsored by the Pittsburgh Penguins Booster Club, is presented annually to a Western Pennsylvania high school senior who exemplifies academic excellence, community service, leadership, sportsmanship, and a positive attitude as a member of their school’s hockey program.
Kolarcik-Schmitt was a member of the Boys Varsity Hockey Team. He was selected for the Mars Hockey Club Wilson Award, which recognizes players who demonstrate sportsmanship, have low penalty minutes, are team players, and play to the best of their ability.
At Mars Area High School, Kolarcik-Schmitt was also a member of the Boys Varsity Golf and Boys Varsity Lacrosse teams as well as Future Business Leaders of America, National Honor Society, and Spanish National Honor Society. He received the AP Honors Award, Mars Hockey Academic Excellence Award, PIHL Academic Excellence Award, a 2021 PIHL Scholarship, and was a four-year High Honors student.
In the community, Kolarcik-Schmitt coordinated an “Ice ALS” charity hockey game to benefit the ALS Association Western Pennsylvania Chapter. He also served as a counselor at KidsFest; organized efforts for an annual “Play for the Brave Night” lacrosse team fundraiser to benefit the It’s About the Warrior Foundation; and volunteered as a children’s skating instructor at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex.
He has also volunteered with the ALS Association, advocating for state-level legislation and funding for the ALS community as well as federal support of ALS-focused legislation and funding from the National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense in Washington, D.C.
Kolarcik-Schmitt attends the University of Pittsburgh, where he is pursuing a dual degree in biomedical engineering. For more information, visit www.pittsburghpenguinsfoundation.org/penguins-honor-mars-area-high-school-graduate-2021-bob-johnson-memorial-scholarship-2/.