Grace Faughnan speaks several languages, is a National Merit finalist and is the youngest in her graduating class at Bishop O’Connell High School. But don’t expect her to tell you any of this.
“She has the innate joy about herself, but she is very humble and very gracious,” said Whitney Webb, coordinator of the Global Studies Program at O’Connell.
Faughnan is graduating third in her class and will serve as the “praetor” during the May 30 commencement ceremony, meaning she will be introducing others on stage. She is slated to attend the University of Virginia as an Echols Scholar in the fall. She hopes to study neuroscience on a pre-med track. But she could also double major with a focus on international relations and economics.
“I just like learning,” Faughnan said during an interview shortly before finals.
She’s looking forward to new adventures at UVA, where her older sister attends. But she has fun plans for the summer, including seeing Taylor Swift perform in the sold-out Era’s Tour in London.
“I’m so excited to see her, I got lucky because friends had extra tickets,” she said.
Mehdi El-Alaoui has been Faughnan’s volleyball coach for four years at O’Connell. He has seen her grow from a shy player to a strong athlete. He credited her with helping the varsity team win its championship in 2023.
“She is the best example of a student athlete,” El-Alaoui said. “She never misses classes, but she also never misses practice. She is a role model, and she is the perfect example that you can do both.”
Faughnan said she liked volleyball because there are so many different patterns to how you can play the game, how you can set up a shot and how you can win. This makes sense to El-Alaoui.
“She is a problem solver,” he said.
Faughnan didn’t hesitate when asked what was the best thing about O’Connell.
“The sense of community,” she said.
She was a 12-year-old freshman when she started at the school, having skipped eighth grade because of strong scores in the high school placement test. It was the COVID year of 2020-21 when the school was virtual some of the time, so making friendships was hard.
“But everyone here is really open, they want to be your friend and want you to feel welcome,” Faughnan said.
Part of the reason she liked volleyball so much was because of the sense of community on the team and the friendships she made.
Last November, Faughnan, who attends Our Lady of Good Counsel Church in Vienna, went on a Kairos retreat. The purpose of the student-led retreat with small groups is to help grow in relationship with Christ. She liked the retreat so much she decided to be a leader in the next one.
“It was just a wonderful experience,” she said.
Lianne Cottrell taught Faughnan in social studies for three of her four years of high school. She wrote her various letters of recommendation, both for college but also the Governor’s Spanish Language Academy program, which she was selected to participate in during the summer between junior and senior year.
“She is somebody who will one day be somebody,” Cottrell said, adding that her gravitas is way beyond her years.
Cottrell recalls assigning essays that would be due on a Monday. It would not be surprising for Faughnan to send her an email on Saturday morning asking for advice on the essay, which was attached, on how it could be improved in time for Monday so she would get the best possible grade.
Faughnan’s teachers said they would miss her next year because of what she brought to the class, the hallway and the court. She was a tutor for the volleyball team and someone who brought joy to those around her, even if it was simply saying, “ ‘Bonjour Ms. Webb,’ in the hallway, and I don’t even teach her French,” Webb recalled.
Cottrell said it was all of that and more. She got emotional describing how she has seen Faughnan grow from a shy student to a giggly, smart, kind student who is always lifting up her peers.
“It has been my privilege to be her teacher, she is that exceptional,” said Cottrell. “And not just as a student but as a human being.”
Shaffrey is diocesan director of media relations.
