Michael and Karen (Link) Zabrzeski of Loretto have been associated with Bishop Carroll Catholic High School as students, supporters, and parents for many years. Mike and Karen graduated from Bishop Carroll in 1984, and have raised six children, all who are or will be Husky alumni: Kayla (2007), Elyse (2010, wife of 2006 BC grad Andy McConnell), Michael (2011), Jacob (2015, husband to 2014 BC grad Krista Wenturine), Emily (2018), and Isabella (2025).
After a long military career which involved moving his family to various locations in the country and the world, Mike and Karen returned to Loretto. Mike is currently employed by Indiana University of Pennsylvania in the ROTC program. Kayla and her husband, Cliff Eckenrode, have two sons with another child on the way. Kayla works at a Noble salon in Johnstown and Cliff is employed at the FCI Loretto. Elyse works at the VA hospital in Altoona and her husband Andy is employed by Kongsberg Defense and Protech in Johnstown in their IT Department. Jacob is also employed at Kongsberg as a defense contractor, and his wife Krista works in the Finance Department at the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown as an executive assistant to the CFO. Michael works in finance, Emily is pursuing a BSN at Mount Aloysius College, and Bella will be a freshman at Bishop Carroll this fall.
Military service is very important to the Zabrzeski family. In addition to Mike’s career in the military and work with the ROTC program, Michael is a reserve officer with the military and Jacob continues to serve in the Army National Guard. The entire Bishop Carroll community thanks them for their service to our country!
Mike and Karen believe wholeheartedly in an education at Bishop Carroll. “It builds a moral foundation for life,” said Mike, Sr. “I met by best friend there, and we got married and raised six wonderful children.” Michael echoed the thoughts of his parents, adding, “I enjoyed my time at Bishop Carroll immensely. The small classes and challenging curriculum benefited me greatly, and the faith-based setting helped me to grow spiritually.” Just like his older brother, Jacob had a similar experience at Bishop Carroll. “I enjoyed the faith-filled education and the long-lasting bonds of students and faculty members that are formed with the smaller class sizes.” Jacob’s wife Krista furthered that sentiment saying, “Going to a Catholic high school really helped me form a good background for my faith. The teachers and staff were all very devoted to their Catholic faith which led a great example for me to follow.” Emily added, “I loved attending Bishop Carroll because it helped me build a strong connection with God during my teen years. BC also pushed me academically and prepared me well for nursing school.”
Thank you to the Zabrzeski family for your years of commitment to Bishop Carroll Catholic High School! Families like yours with strong, Catholic values, are the backbone of our community!