In conjunction with Angel Flight 2009, Skutt Catholic ~ Passport to the World, nominations were sought for the first Skutt Catholic Outstanding Alumni Award. Eighteen special alums were nominated by friends, family, and peers as outstanding graduates who have achieved distinction in their endeavors. Although each nominee's story was remarkable in its own right, one young man's accomplishments reached a "world" scale.

After John Fredrickson graduated from Skutt Catholic in May of 2005, he moved to New York City to attend New York University's Silver School of Social Work. During his sophomore year John studied abroad in the west African nation of Ghana.  While there, he interned at the West Africa AIDS Foundation, assisting in a poster competition at local schools to help reduce stigmas associated with HIV/AIDS.  Upon completion of his studies, John extended his stay in Ghana to help pilot a high school program in the annual Pan African Film Festival, which highlights documentary films made by Africans throughout the world.  He returned to NYC that fall to continue his studies.  After his junior year, he returned to Africa, this time to the east African nation of Tanzania, where he interned at an international street children's home.  While in Tanzania, he advocated for and helped coordinate an initiative to have all of the children within the organization tested for HIV.  By the end of the summer, every single orphan within the organization had been tested.

Upon John's return to NYC, he secured an internship at Harlem United, a community-based HIV/AIDS agency.  He interned there for the remainder of his time at NYU and was hired by the agency upon his graduation in May 2009.  He was selected by NYU to represent the graduating Social Work class on stage at the NYU commencement, where he received his Bachelor's of Science alongside Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.  Today, John is a Columbia University graduate student, where he is pursuing a Master's of Science in Advanced Clinical Social Work. 

Skutt Catholic congratulates John A. Fredrickson, Class of 2005, as the 2009 Outstanding Alumni Award-winner.  John's parents are Allen and Marilee Fredrickson.