For senior Caden Koneval, with acceptances at seven colleges and universities, and academic scholarship offers over $400,000, the future is bright. 

Caden, who has a 4.167 cumulative GPA and plans to major in mechanical engineering, is planning to head to Michigan State University, despite offers from Albion College, Grand Valley State University, Butler University, the University of Detroit-Mercy, and Valparaiso University. 

“My mom went to MSU,” Caden said. “And I’ve been an MSU fan my entire life. We took a tour and I really liked it.”

Caden said he and his family weighed the scholarship offers, and decided that the cost for MSU would be less than heading out of state or to private colleges, even with the large offers.

A four-year baseball player, Caden is also a member of the DLS National Honor Society. He plays IM basketball and is also in the Ski Club.

This year, he is enrolled in three Advanced Placement classes: Government, Computer Science, and Statistics, new to the DLS curriculum this year. 

Caden attended Iroquois Middle School, and decided to attend De La Salle after visiting the school during Open House. 

“I loved the atmosphere,” Caden said. “I knew I would be prepared for college.” 

Caden cites Mr. Scott Grimmer as one of his favorite teachers.

“When I came in as a freshman, I wasn’t familiar at all with Catholic schools,” Caden said. “Mr. Grimmer helped me to get acclimated.” 

Caden also cites his freshman gym class as one of his best memories. “We had a 3-on-3 basketball tournament, and I loved it.” 

He advises younger students to “go with their gut” when applying for college. “Think about where you want to end up,” Caden says. 

Caden lives in Macomb Township with his parents Kevin and Michelle Koneval. The family attends St. John Vianney Parish in Shelby Township.