Alumni Spotlight:  Frank Slanczka ‘15

Servant first. It precisely sums up the way Frank Slanczka, Class of 2015, lives his life. 

At just 26 years old, Slanczka has already become the epitome of someone who puts the needs of others before his own.   

He credits his parents, Frank and Karen Slanczka, for his strong Christian upbringing, as well as the Lasallian, faith-filled education he received at De La Salle, for molding him into the morally grounded man he is today.   

“De La Salle taught me how to be a hard worker while being both value-oriented and virtuous,” Slanczka said. “I couldn’t be more proud of the Lasallian education I received. It taught me the importance of helping others, and of practicing the virtue of charity.”

Since graduating from De La Salle, Slanczka has been keenly focused on serving the less fortunate and giving back to the community. His most recent act of service came as part of a trip to Poland earlier this summer. 

Slanczka spent nearly three weeks in the Central European nation, providing aid to the millions of Ukrainian men and women who have taken refuge there.

Specifically, he assisted individuals in getting to checkpoints to further their travels, made and served food for newly-arrived refugees, took care of children at a refugee daycare, and directed sick people to proper places of care. 

He also organized a warehouse stocked full of daily essentials, such as medical supplies, clothing, and soap, which were used by the refugees and also shipped to Ukraine. 

Despite the hardships of the Ukrainian people that he witnessed, Slanczka found his time in Poland to be a highly rewarding experience. 

“The experience itself was hard to see. It was unimaginable to put yourself in their shoes, and it was hard to digest some of the horrific stories that I was told,” Slanczka said. “However, I would not change the experience for the world. It was a rewarding feeling to be able to put a smile on someone's face whose future was unknown, and to be able to help them as much as I could.”

Currently, Slanczka is a faculty member at Guardian Angels Grade School in Clawson. He teaches history, religion, and literature to sixth through eighth grade students.

On a daily basis, he emphasizes to his students the importance of possessing a strong work ethic, a lesson he learned during his time as a Pilot. 

“Whether it was in sports or inside the classroom, all the teachers, staff, and parents at De La Salle taught us to work hard in whatever we are doing,” Slanczka said.  “This has carried over into my life. Whether it is building friendships, helping others, teaching, or praying, I work hard to get better every single day. This is one of the many life lessons that I have learned from DLS.”

Slanczka has a myriad of fond memories from his time as a De La Salle student, both from inside and outside the classroom. 

He played soccer and ran track as a Pilot student-athlete, and also participated in multiple Wig and Mask Society (WAMS) play productions, including “South Pacific” and “Damn Yankees.” 

Meanwhile, he was a well-accomplished student, and thoroughly enjoyed being taught by longtime social studies teachers Thaier Mukhtar and retired faculty and staff member Mike Karas. Both teachers played a significant role in Slanczka’s pursuit of a teaching career himself. 

“Some of the best memories of my life are from my time at De La Salle, and have carried over into my life now,” Slanczka commented. “I still keep in contact with many of my friends and teachers. I always cherished seeing the teachers greeting us in the hallway every morning and taking the time to help us when we, as students, needed help. This is a big part of why I chose the profession of teaching.”

Slanczka graduated from Grand Valley State in 2020 with a Bachelor’s degree in History, with a minor in language and business. He completed his Master’s in Secondary Education and History, with a minor in Social Studies, at Oakland University in 2022.

During the 22-23 school year, he worked part-time at St. Augustine in Richmond. 
 

Alumni Spotlight:  Frank Slanczka ‘15
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