When Gavin Velicevic first walked into De La Salle as a seventh-grader on a tour, the decision to attend the school for his high school education came quickly.

“I walked in here and said, this is the place I want to be,” he recalled. “I made the decision in seventh grade.”

Now a junior, Gavin has been elected Student Council President for the 2026-2027 school year, which will then cap four years of involvement in student leadership.

Despite a daily commute of nearly 40 minutes, from his home in Oakland Township, he has immersed himself in campus life since freshman year.

“I wanted to have the most impactful role that I could,” he said of running for president. “I’d already been working behind the scenes with the officers this year helping to organize events, so I felt like this was where I could contribute the most.”

Although he did not previously hold an official officer title, Gavin played a key role in planning major student events including Winter Formal, pep rallies, Spirit Week, and Homecoming activities.

Building School Pride

As he prepares to take on the role of Student Council President, Gavin says his focus is simple: listening to students and strengthening the sense of community and “Pilot Pride.”

Part of that effort will involve making student government more accessible.

“If someone wants to see something happen, reach out,” he said."If people have ideas, we want them to speak up. That’s how we keep making the school better.”

He added, “We can’t guarantee everything, but we’ll always try to work with students and see what we can do. We want students to feel proud to be here."

A Wide Range of Activities

Gavin’s involvement stretches well beyond student government.

He contributes to the school’s faith life through music.

A pianist since age five, he now serves as a part-time music minister at St. Mary’s, filling in on piano or organ during Mass.

Learning the organ presented new challenges.

“The fundamentals from piano are there,” he said, “but it’s different. There’s no sustain pedal like on piano—you have to hold everything with your fingers and use the pedals.”

Gavin is also an IM Basketball referee and plays varisity football and baseball. 

He has been a member of the Student Broadcast Club since freshman year. 

Academic Achievement

Academically, Gavin carries an impressive 4.27 GPA and has had a rigorous course load that currently includes Advanced Placement (AP) Language and Composition, AP American Government, AP Calculus BC, and AP Chemistry. 

Next year he plans to continue with AP Spanish.

His academic interests have also led him to DECA, where he recently became a state finalist in Sports and Entertainment Marketing - his first year in the program.

He is also a member of the National Honor Society. 

Family and Future Pilots

Gavin is the son of Heidi and Erik Velicevic.

His younger brother, Camden, currently an eighth-grader at Holy Family Regional, plans to attend De La Salle next year.

Like his older brother, Camden quickly felt comfortable on campus.

“Even if he had considered other schools,” Gavin said, “I think he still would have chosen here.”

Looking Ahead

Gavin has not decided on a college major but does have some universities in mind. 

“My top three are the University of Notre Dame, University of Villanova, and Vanderbilt University.”