Senior Malcolm Richardson currently leads the Class of 2026 academically with a 4.422 GPA. 

Malcolm, who grew up on the west coast, and attended elementary schools in California and Washington State, moved to the Detroit area as an eighth-grader. He said his grandmother wanted a good Catholic education for him and that’s how he came to be a Pilot. 

Andrew Campbell, Director of Counseling is familiar with Malcolm’s academic path at De La Salle. 

Campbell said, “Malcolm came to us from California and his enrollment was very under the radar. After excelling on our STAR testing (a screening and progress tool for instructional planning), I reviewed his schedule and found that he was placed in our College Prep  Algebra and several other College Prep level classes. In order to advance himself quickly, Malcolm moved to Honors Algebra and took Geometry on his own so he could jump to Advanced Algebra 2 and Trigonometry his sophomore year. He has since taken only Honors and AP level classes.”

Malcolm’s classes this year include AP Calculus BC, AP Statistics, AP Human Geography, AP Physics 1, and AP English LIterature and Composition.

He lives in Royal Oak and attends Our Lady Queen of Martyrs (Beverly Hills, MI). 

Malcolm is interested in pursuing an engineering career because of his interest in Mathematics. Currently he would like to attend the University of Michigan or Carnegie-Mellon in the Pittsburgh area because he loves the area and has family there. 

Although Malcolm doesn’t have an outside job, he frequently works with his father, who is a carpenter. 

Malcolm participates in cross-country and also in track and field. He says his best memories of DLS will be track and field meets. He spends between 20 and 30 hours each week in training or at meets. 

Campbell, who also coaches cross-country coach and track, said, “Malcolm is an exceptional young man! I have had the pleasure of coaching him in Cross Country and Track, which he started as a Freshman with no prior experience. He is now our fastest distance runner, hoping to break the16 min mark for his 5k this season, and the 9:30 min mark for the 3200 m run in our upcoming track season.”

Cross-Country coach Bryan Stewart said, "Malcolm has been one of the most consistent and dedicated athletes I have coached.”

Malcolm advises freshmen to join a sport or club. 

Teachers have high praise for Malcolm.

Catherine Leix, who teaches AP Calculus, said Malcolm was a model student throughout the year and earned top marks on the exam. 

Her comments were echoed by Mike Shortt, who teaches AP Microeconomics and noted “Malcolm brought a positive attitude and a great sense of humor each day.” 

Also citing Malcolm’s top AP scores were Thaier Mukhtar (AP Government) and Mary Balamucki (AP Biology). Balamucki said, “He was a pleasure to work with - and very dedicated to his studies.”  

John Berlin, who teaches in the DLS Theology Department, said, “He brings an ease to the classroom accompanied with a joy for learning each and every day. His easygoing demeanor makes his thoughts valued by his peers as well as myself. He is a natural student whose future appears beyond bright.”

Campbell adds, “A person cannot succeed and achieve at these levels without being honest with himself, persistent, and driven. When I think about his freshman year academically and having watched him run so many miles, I see how he has achieved at such a high level.  When he sets his mind to something, he goes ‘all in’ and really works hard.  I am proud of him and I am excited to see where life takes him!  I have no doubt that Malcolm will be exceptional in all that he does.”