College Corner: Alex Cabulong '19, Case Western Reserve

Alex Cabulong ’19 says that “without a doubt, the comprehensive education and profound spiritual formation at the Prep launched me into the next chapter of my life.”

During his time at the Prep, Alex immersed himself in numerous clubs and extracurriculars including Speech & Debate, Student Council, Prep Med, SJP Writing Lab, and the Hawkeye. Above all, Alex’s passion was competing in Speech and Debate tournaments, in which he was Nationally Ranked in Extemporaneous Speech, and named president of the team in his junior year, leading the team to victories across the country. In his senior year, Alex was re-elected President of the Speech and Debate team and was nominated by the National Speech and Debate Association (NSDA) as a Tournament of Champions finalist in Extemporaneous Speech. He also was elected as Vice President of the Student Council Executive Board, President of the Prep Writing Lab, and President of the Prep Med Club. Under Alex’s leadership, the Prep Med club was revitalized and reorganized, and grew from only 5 active members to over 205, making it one of the largest academic interest clubs at the Prep. He established the Prep Med and Penn Medicine Collaboration which enabled the sharing of cutting edge medical technology and advances with the Prep community, including ECMO Lung Rescue, Limb Lengthening and Shortening, and certifying members of the Prep community in “Stop the Bleed”. Alex’s positive attitude and dedication to helping and teaching others was contagious throughout the Prep community.

For this month’s college corner, we asked Alex to give us an update on his life post-Prep:

My foremost mentor throughout my high school journey was Dr. Barbara Giuliano. Before the start of my freshman year, I received sage advice from my older brother, Fred Cabulong ’14, to explore the world of Speech & Debate, coached by Dr. Giuliano. When I first approached Dr. Guiliano about the possibility of joining the Speech & Debate team, she immediately recognized my desire to learn the art of public speaking and saw innate talent. She emboldened me to pursue Extemporaneous Speech, an event that focuses on researching, writing, memorizing, and delivering a 7 minute speech after 30 minutes of research. I remember struggling with this challenging event at first, but it was through Dr. Guiliano’s unwavering support and constant encouragement that I began to grow as a public speaker. While the change was not always readily visible from my perspective, Dr. Guiliano would always reiterate the tremendous growth that she witnessed from my first speech as a Freshman to my subsequent speeches later in my high school career. When Dr. Guiliano announced her retirement in 2019, I was saddened because I understood how influential she was in the development of so many young men throughout her time at the Prep. I am forever grateful to Dr. Guiliano for her selfless dedication to forming young men who are eloquent, selfless, and religious.

Currently, I am pursuing a BA degree in Classics with minors in Biology and Chemistry from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, OH. During the summer months, I return to Penn Medicine in Philadelphia to engage in research in the field of Trauma, Emergency Surgical Services, and Critical Care. In the fall of 2019, I was able to publish my first research article examining the long-term effects of gunshot wounds on gun violence victims under the tutelage of Michael Vella, MD. I am on track to graduate a year early from Case Western and am looking forward to completing my Masters in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania before transitioning into Case Western’s Medical School. I intend to spend the next several years exploring various specialties before ultimately choosing my field of expertise.