Almanac announces Waldie/Shaeffer finalists
Paul Dunn • Bethel Park • Wrestling • Lehigh University (business)
Dontae Penn-Jones • Chartiers Valley • Wrestling, football, track • Private, first class in Pennsylvania National Guard
Dealt difficult hands in life, Paul Dunn of Bethel Park and Dontae Penn-Jones from Chartiers Valley find themselves linked together as they vie for The Almanac’s prestigious Waldie/Shaeffer Scholarship Award. The winner will be announced May 31 at the 25th Annual Premier Performers Banquet. Both have persevered to become champions in life, school and sports while dealing with personal adversity.
At age 17, Dunn lost his father and namesake to a massive heart attack on Dec. 16, 2013.
“The world is not going to feel bad for you,” said Dunn. “You just have to get up every day, go to work and move on.”
Meanwhile, Penn-Jones came home from wrestling practice this season only to find his grandmother, the woman who nurtured him for 18 years, dead on the floor.
“My grandma was the biggest thing I had in my life. She took me in. She raised me all my life, so basically she had the biggest impact on me,” Penn-Jones said.
“She was my everything. She was always there, kept a roof over my head and food on my plate. So when she died, it was definitely hard. I’ll always remember when she died. It was the day we took wrestling pictures. The wrestling team was like my second family. Wrestling was my sport.”
Through wrestling, Penn-Jones and Dunn worked through their emotional losses. Penn-Jones also played football for three seasons and ran track, earning two varsity letters.
“Wrestling gives you mental strength. That was the biggest impact,” Penn-Jones said. “It teaches you self-discipline and self-motivation. Both are keys to being successful in what you want to do. If you are motivated to a goal, then you will succeed. If not you are going to fail.”
Dunn seldom failed on the mats. This winter, he joined the Pennsylvania Century Club for wrestlers with more than 100 career victories. With 133 favorable decisions, he ranks third in school history for wins. Dunn grabbed two bronze medals in back-to-back state championships. A two-time section winner, he garnered a WPIAL title his senior season to go along with his runner-up finish as a junior. Dunn also was selected to participate in the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic, which features the top seniors in the country.
When faced with adversity, Dunn said, “You have to keep pushing. He also stated that he is “thankful” that his father and his mother, Rina, pushed him to be where he is today. “They’ve giving me all the tools I need to be the best that I can be.”
His best gained the attention of Lehigh University. Dunn will wrestle for the Mountain Hawks while pursuing a business degree. In addition to becoming a national champion and All-America wrestler, Dunn plans to become a CEO at a big corporation some day.
Meanwhile, Penn-Jones has already embarked on his career. He joined the National Guard and this past summer completed basic training. Recently, he was promoted to private, first class. In addition to completing his high school courses so as to graduate with his class in June, Penn-Jones also works at Mad Mex restaurant in Scott Township.
“I wanted to be an outstander,” Penn-Jones said of his decision to enlist. “It means something [to me] to serve my country. I didn’t feel that way until I finished basic training. Before it was a job, I wanted to explore. When I came back [from Oklahoma], I felt the way the world is turning right now has made me more patriotic. You change mentally when you join and become willing to fight.”
According to his wrestling coach Billy Evans, Penn-Jones has had to fight for his life since birth. “He wasn’t brought up in the most perfect environment or under the best circumstances, but Dontae always walks around with a smile on his face and with a positive attitude. He has basically supported himself by working almost 30 hours a week every since I can remember,” Evans added. “He is a polite, well-mannered young man who is decent to every person he meets.”
Credit grandma, says Penn-Jones. “She raised me to be honored for anything that anybody gives me. It gives me the outlook that there actually are good people out there,” he said. “She also told me to live your goals and not follow others. Be yourself.”
Grandma also taught Penn-Jones about survival. She loved Gloria Gaynor and “I Will Survive” was her favorite song. “No matter what, my grandma said that she will survive, and I live by that motto every day,” Penn-Jones said.
Penn-Jones has survived thanks to his girlfriend, Rose Gigler. The two have dated since seventh grade and are the “quintessential high school sweetheart couple,” according to Evans. When his grandma died, the Gigler family welcomed Penn-Jones into their home.
Just as he owns a strong sense of pride and purpose as an American, Penn-Jones possesses the qualities of a model son. “He conquered adversity with a level of class and maturity that most people twice his age could not muster and not shockingly, with the same unwavering positive attitude that makes him the special individual that he is,” said Evans. “He still pressed on with work, school and athletics, even while basically being homeless as a result of his grandmother’s residence and possessions being negotiated over by her children. Dontae, again being left out in the wind with only close friends and other people in his life to care for him, has not let any of this adversity break him.”
Likewise, Dunn did not allow adversity to break him. He even took up the mantle of setting a positive attitude for his siblings, Samantha and Wil, as well as the underclassmen on his wrestling team. For two years, too, Dunn served as a captain on a squad that featured five freshmen.
“My participation in sports has taught me how to work hard and work for things that I want. So it created a good work ethic for me that I incorporate into my schoolwork and on the mats. Plus, it has also taught me how to be a good leader,” Dunn said. “It was cool showing [the freshmen] the ropes and show them how I want them to work and set a good example.”
According to BP wrestling coach Bob Stewart, Dunn epitomizes the definition of leader as he is a role model to many. “Since his father passed away, Paul has stepped up in numerous ways. Not only has he succeeded on the mat, but he has done the same in the classroom,” said Stewart, noting his 4.0 GPA. “Personally, I have two boys of my own and I can only hope that they group up to be the kind of young man that Paul has become. He is a tremendous individual, who has accomplished so much in his high school career. The way that he has persevered through that tough time in his life is truly remarkable. Paul has a bright future ahead of him,” Stewart predicted.
So, too, does Penn-Jones, says Evans. “Dontae will make a solid soldier and future citizen,” he said.