b'Where are they now?HAL TEHAN SCHOLARS REFLECT FAITHFUL COREEach year, the Foundation presents the Hal Tehan Scholar Award, in honor of the late Catholic Foundation leader, donor and friend, to one junior student nominated by each of the eight local Catholic high schools. The award, based on the students academic achievement, community and church involvement, leadership, and an essay that illustrates what their Catholic education means to them, is voted on by a panel of Catholic Foundation Board of Trustees and Advisory Council members. This is in the first in a series of stories about past Hal Tehan Scholar recipients as we reconnect with Paul Kolker, the 2002 recipient.As a lifelong performer andcomfortably in public. Married improv fan, Paul Kolker drawsfour years to Shayla, the couple passion from great lines inlive in Lewisville and are movies. He particularly loves Melparishioners at St. Ann Catholic Gibsons portrayal of WilliamCommunity. Wallace in the 1995 filmAlthough its been years since Braveheart when he delivered thehe started doing improv, Paul iconic Freedom speech: Aye,harnesses his skills as a teaching fight and you may die. Run andand training tool for employees at youll live, at least a while. Andcompanies that are seeking to dying in your beds many yearsbuild strong team atmospheres from now, would you be willing toand cultures. trade all the days from this dayEach week, Paul joins fellow to that for one chance, just oneco-hosts Jeff Schiefelbein and chance to come back here andNick Bezner (aka The BeatiDudes) tell our enemies that they mayin a podcast where they explore take our lives, but theyll neverlife from the perspective of men take our freedom! seeking to follow Gods will while As a Jesuit Dallas graduatethey grow closer together in of 2003, and the 2002 recipientholiness and humor. The of the Hal Tehan Scholar Award,BeatiDudes releases two episodes Paul looks back on his formativeeach week and can be listened to years with joy. As a youth, he wasat www.thebeatidudes.com. very involved with the LifeTeenPAUL KOLKERWhile Paul has experienced far ministry and a very activemore moments of joy than sorrow member of the legendary St. Ann2002 RECIPIENT in his life since earning The Catholic Community youth groupCatholic Foundation scholarship, in Coppell. After high school,he has experienced some Paul studied at Texas A&M University where he earned hisdisappointments. When those happen, he turns to Scripture undergraduate degree in philosophy. and draws upon Simon of Cyrene helping Jesus because of At Texas A&M, his involvement in the St. Marys Catholicpowerful and similar moments hes experienced that produce Center paved the way for the Holy Spirit to pour gas onto hisstriking images in his mind. already burning fire of faith. Participating in youth retreatsIm helping Jesus carry the cross that I should be proved to be the secret sauce that helped him deepen his faithcarrying, he says. Its a consolation to me as I realize how as both a retreat participant and member of teams that, inbroken Jesus heart must have been. You think about how turn, put on retreats for others. much he gave up to become man, and how much he sacrificed As an adult, he has often used his improv skills to helpto take on the form of a slave.\\youth share their witness of faith and train them how to speak 5'