For Collin George, a senior at St. Mary’s Ryken High School in Leonardtown, growth came from choosing challenge over comfort.
In fact, that was exactly the point.
Whether learning golf after years of success in other sports, diving into engineering internships at Naval Air Station Patuxent River or stepping into leadership roles at school, George said some of his most formative experiences began with doing things that did not come naturally at first.
A four-year member of the school’s golf team, George first became serious about the sport in eighth grade after a friend introduced him to it. Unlike basketball and soccer, where he had already found success, golf demanded patience and discipline.
“When I started golf, I was terrible at it,” George said with a laugh. “I liked that it challenged me in a completely different way.”
“You’re never going to be perfect at anything, but golf is a lot harder to master,” he said. “There are so many different aspects of the game. You have to pour so much time into every single one.”
That mindset shaped George’s four years at St. Mary’s Ryken, where he pursued leadership, engineering and service while growing in confidence and community.
This fall, George will attend Clemson University, where he plans to study mechanical engineering in the university’s honors program. He hopes to pursue a future in automotive or aerospace engineering, fields he already has explored through competitive internships and programs connected to the defense industry.
“I’ve always kind of been drawn to automotive,” George said. “Clemson has a lot of cool connections with BMW and Mercedes and Michelin, so being able to get those experiences through the school really interests me.”
During the summer before senior year, George completed engineering internships with The MIL Corporation and the Next-Generation Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division Workforce Internship program at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
During one internship while touring propulsion, hydraulics and power laboratories, George helped design and build a drone using computer-aided design software.
“It gave me a chance to see what the naval base does,” he said.
Outside the classroom, George immersed himself in student life. He served in student government all four years, including as executive board treasurer, participated in honor societies and academic organizations, and earned four varsity letters in golf.
He also volunteered with organizations including Special Olympics Maryland, Project Echo homeless shelter, Loaves and Fishes Food Pantry and the St. Mary’s Ryken Caritas Resource Center. He additionally founded “Books to Go,” a project aimed at repurposing books within the community.
George said one of the defining aspects of his experience at St. Mary’s Ryken was how easy it was for students to become involved and build relationships.
“At Ryken, it’s really easy to get involved,” he said. “At other schools, things can feel behind a wall, but here it’s easy to make your own community.”
George attended Father Andrew White, S.J. School in Leonardtown before enrolling at St. Mary’s Ryken. His mother, Kristen George, is a preschool teacher at First Saints Community Church in Leonardtown, and his father works as a civilian comptroller at Naval Air Station Patuxent River.
Although George is Methodist, he said St. Mary’s Ryken’s faith-centered environment helped him grow spiritually and personally.
He became involved in campus ministry as a Xaverian Brothers Sponsored School Steward and retreat leader, helping lead sophomore and junior retreats and giving talks to fellow students.
“It gave me a lot of opportunities to branch out,” he said.
George said St. Mary’s Ryken also helped him grow in ways he did not expect.
“I used to be a lot more quiet,” he said. “Through Ryken, I’ve grown a lot being able to be involved in these things and just meeting all my friends.”
At Clemson, George hopes to continue playing competitive golf through the university’s club team while joining Formula SAE, a collegiate engineering organization in which students design, build and race their own cars.
He already has started reaching out.
“I actually emailed them today asking how I could get involved next year,” he said.
George encouraged younger students to step outside their comfort zones.
“Don’t be scared to do what you truly want to do,” he said. “You don’t need to do everything. Just find a few things that you love and do a lot with those things.”
