Life is moving forward quickly for 18-year old Mason Alvarado, who graduated last month with the Palmyra High School Class of 2026 and will attend Drexel University this September, majoring in Environmental Engineering.
This summer he is teaching youngsters how to sail on the Delaware River as a Riverton Yacht instructor, where he used to race small, quick sailboats in competitions as a race team member.
This past April, Alvarado fixed the fencing around the backstop and dugouts at the PHS baseball field on Charles Street for his Eagle Scout project, and he will have his Court of Honor in January 2027 with Troop 9 at the Bethany Lutheran Church in Palmyra.
One of his favorite high school memories was playing on the 2023 Palmyra High South Jersey Group 1 Championship soccer team as a wing and outside back, and he is very proud of how well the USA national team is playing during the World Cup.
“Having the World Cup in America is awesome. It’s great to see how foreign visitors realize how much fun it is to be here. We’ve got a chance to win,” said Alvarado, whose specialty was creating plays and scoring chances for the Panthers.
An excellent student, he was a member of the Interact Club, the National Honor Society (NHS) and the Spanish NHS and earned several college scholarships to help pay for his education at Drexel, where he will stay in a dormitory and come home for weekends.
“I just like enjoying nature, and feeling the breeze off the water when I am sailing. I liked camping with the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts in the Pinelands,” said Alvarado, who hopes to use his education and create a career helping to protect the environment.
He first joined Cub Scout Pack 9 at Bethany Lutheran Church as a second grader, and enjoyed participating in the Pinewood Derby and camping trips. Alvarado joined Troop 9 as a Boy Scout in fifth grade, and attained the rank of Star Scout and Life Scout before becoming an Eagle Scout.
“I had a lot of fun making memories with my friends. Some of them left scouting after a while, but I stayed with it,” said Alvarado, adding that his parents, Bernard and Jennifer Alvarado, have always been supportive and proud of his achievements. His sister, Marin, is 25 years old and his brother, Madden, is 14.
As a training instructor at the Yacht Club this year, he teaches youngsters ages 7 to 16 how to maneuver a sailboat through the water. “We usually take between 12 and 15 kids out every day using five boats at a time,” he said.
Alvarado has had a busy past few months, and is enjoying this summer being a sailboat instructor. He is also looking forward to a bright future where he will help keep the environment clean and continue growing as a positive, upbeat human being.
