08/26/2018
Dear Friends: We are honored to introduce Ryan Ferdinand, the 2018 Jonathan Page Memorial Scholarship recipient! Please join us in congratulating Ryan and wishing him good luck as his begins this new chapter as a mechanical engineering major at Lehigh University.
We’d like to share with you the official press release:
Merchantville’s Ryan Ferdinand, a recent graduate of Bishop Eustace Preparatory School, is the recipient of the 2018 Jonathan Page Memorial Scholarship, which honors the memory of another Merchantville man, Jonathan Page.
The scholarship was created in 2011 by friends and family of Page, a Merchantville native who passed away tragically at the age of 32, alongside his wife. The scholarship seeks to honor Page’s love of science, a field in which he thrived far beyond high school, by annually providing financial support to a graduating senior at his alma mater who plans to pursue a degree in science, just as he did.
Ferdinand will attend Lehigh University this fall to pursue a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
“I am honored to have been chosen as the 2018 recipient. I believe I share the same high regard for physics as your son,” Ferdinand wrote in a letter to the family, “and I strive to continue my learning in the four years to come aided by the scholarship.”
During his four years at Bishop Eustace, Ferdinand completed 15 honors and AP courses and received multiple academic awards, including a National Merit Scholarship, the Camden County Best of Class “Best Overall Student” Award and the National Council of Teachers of English Superior Writing Award. He “spread kindness” as part of the Friends of Rachel Club at school, debated on the Philosophy and Ethics Team and “fostered other young minds by volunteering as a tutor at St. Anthony of Padua in Camden,” he said.
However, it’s Ferdinand’s experience as the mechanical team lead and chief designer for the Bishop Eustace Robotics Team during his last two years of high school that he found the most memorable.
“I’ve had the chance to put all my classroom physics experience to practical use creating our 120 pound robots. It has allowed me to truly realize my great appreciation for physics, leading to my pursuit of mechanical engineering at Lehigh University.”
Ferdinand shares deep roots in the town of Merchantville with the Page family, and said this connection makes the scholarship particularly meaningful to him. Not only is he a lifelong resident and the grandson of longtime mayor Jack Morrissey, he’s also a parishioner at St. Peter’s Roman Catholic Church, where Page’s parents have been parishioners for more than 40 years.
The teachers at Bishop Eustace are tasked with choosing one outstanding student planning to pursue a degree in the sciences to receive the college scholarship each year.
After graduating from Bishop Eustace in 1996, Page went on to earn a degree in physics from Cornell University in 2000 and established a strong background in engineering research. He worked as an engineer for Communications & Power Industries, Inc. in Palo Alto, Calif., developing anti-missile systems for the Navy, thus saving many lives.
