2012 Young Alumni Award

Kevin Krainz ’07
Acceptance speech video

Kevin Krainz once spoke of wanting to live “an uncommon life,” and he is well on his way to doing that, in the best way possible.

From his time at St. Norbert until today, Kevin has dedicated himself to serving the common good.

After graduation, he volunteered at the Archdiocese of Chicago’s Amate House, helping to provide free legal services through Cabrini Green Legal Aid.

He is remembered at Amate House not just for adhering to their tenets –  faith, community, service, social justice and stewardship – but for his extraordinary commitment to them. He was, noted one nominator, a role model for the entire community.

After Amate House, Kevin traveled to Peru, where he spent a year with Augustinian Volunteers, conducting workshops on voting rights and civic participation, teaching English and serving as a translator for visiting groups of doctors.

Returning to the states, Kevin worked as a fundraiser for Cabrini Green Legal Aid, and is currently a Toll Public Interest Scholar at the University of Pennsylvania Law School. As a Toll Scholar, he has committed to performing five years of public service as a lawyer following graduation, and is already doing pro bono work on projects related to employment law.

From his days at St. Norbert as what one sponsor described as “the single most impressive student I have ever known,” to his faithful service today on behalf of the poor and the marginalized, Kevin is an exemplar of Catholic social teaching and “exactly the kind of person Abbot Pennings prayed would attend this school and extend the legacy of St. Norbert himself, fully engaging the world with reverence and joy.”