Patrick DuFour of the class of 2023 at Georgetown Preparatory School in North Bethesda has lived out the Jesuit school’s goal for students of being “Men for Others” by starting a community food outreach club at Prep during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also by joining students on a summer service trip to help migrants in Texas, by singing with its vocal group at school Masses and at nursing homes, and by being a retreat leader and mentor for fellow students at his school.

At Georgetown Prep, DuFour has also been a man with others, as the center and a captain on its football team, as a member of its rugby team, and as the lead singer of 2% Milk, a band with three fellow Prep students that has performed at school and community events.

On May 20 during the commencement for Georgetown Preparatory School’s graduating senior class, DuFour received one of the highest honors, the Jesuit Schools Network Award that is presented to a senior for representing the ideals of a Jesuit high school, as “a well-rounded person who is intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving and committed to doing justice in generous service to the people of God.”

The son of Justin and Nimet DuFour is a member of Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Potomac and graduated from Mater Dei School in Bethesda before attending Prep. This fall, the 18-year-old will be attending the University of Notre Dame. 

During the pandemic, DuFour was concerned about people needing food help, so he started the Families4Families Club at Prep, organizing a regular food drive there, with Prep student volunteers delivering bags of food on Saturday mornings to a program in Washington, D.C., serving families. 

“People really appreciated it,” DuFour said. “It made me extremely happy to be able to help these people.” He said Georgetown Prep students will be continuing that outreach during the next school year.

Reflecting on being “Men for Others,” DuFour said living that out isn’t “just doing charity work for families,” it’s also a matter of doing things like helping a fellow student who doesn’t understand some schoolwork, or sitting with a student who is alone at a lunch table.

“It doesn’t have to be huge things. It’s just making the world a better place in your everyday life,” he said.

In the summer of 2022, he was in a group of about 10 Prep students who made a service trip to a border area in El Paso, Texas.

“I had a great group of guys go with me,” said DuFour, who said one of their most memorable experiences was helping to prepare food at a migrant shelter, and taking time to sit and eat with some of the migrants there. 

“I was sitting with a kid from Honduras… We had so much in common,” he said, noting they are both soccer fans, and the Prep students played soccer with him and some of the children there. The teen told him about the gang violence that his family was fleeing in their home country that drove them to seek asylum in the United States.

“I’ve lived here (in Maryland) my entire life. I wanted to go on a service trip. You hear about the border. I was interested in being there and seeing things from a firsthand perspective,” DuFour said. “I wanted to see the people that so many people were talking about, and see the situation they were in.”

In recognition of his leadership at Georgetown Prep, DuFour in his senior year was chosen to be a member of the Love in Action group there, serving as a mentor to underclassmen. He also helped lead retreats there.

“I just loved making connections and having meaningful conversations” with fellow students in those programs, he said.

The Prep senior sang tenor with A Cupola Hoyas, the school’s vocal group, at Masses on campus and at performances including during visits to local nursing homes.

DuFour also took center stage as the lead singer and played the keyboard and piano for 2% Milk, a band consisting of him and three fellow Prep students, including guitarist Luke Shaffer and bassist Nick Arndt of the class of 2023, and drummer Jack Sullivan of the class of 2024. The band members have been playing together since they were fourth graders at Mater Dei, and their repertoire includes classic rock and rock songs from the early 2000s. The name, he said, was inspired by one of the band member’s love for milk.

In addition to playing at Prep’s homecoming and prom, 2% Milk performed this past fall at a benefit for Potomac Community Resources a nonprofit organization that promotes inclusion of people with developmental differences in community events.

When he goes to Notre Dame, DuFour hopes to continue playing in a band. “I definitely want to keep it a part of my life,” he said.

His favorite classes at Georgetown Prep included Advanced Placement U.S. history, AP calculus and AP classes on comparative politics and U.S. government.

When he was interviewed by the Catholic Standard, DuFour had his arm in a sling after breaking his collarbone while playing rugby for the school’s team, but he said he would still be taking his AP exams.

DuFour also played center for Prep’s football team, and teammates voted him to be one of five captains for the team. He said that in all of his activities at the school, he enjoyed making friends with different groups of students.

Interviewed before his May 20 graduation, DuFour said it felt “kind of surreal” as that day was approaching. “I’ve spent a lot of time here over the last four years,” he said. After speaking enthusiastically about his Prep experiences, he added, “I’m excited to move on.”

“It’s been academically challenging, (along with) all the extracurriculars. It’s here to challenge you, it’s here to make you stronger,” DuFour said. “…Even though it’s challenging, everybody is here to support you. The ultimate goal is to form you into a competent, compassionate person and send you out into the world to make waves.”