Fordham Preparatory School - Ramview Ramview Fall 2018 | Page 18

Prep
Senior profile
and Director Emeritus of McKinsey & Company,
established the fund in 2000 with the goal of ensuring
young men who are qualified could attend the Prep.
Once the path to the Prep cleared, what did Collings do as
a freshman to meet people? He joined an athletic team,
of course. “I’m not an athletic person,” he laughed, “but I
joined the track team to meet new people.” This small,
sensible gesture was just a tiny indication of what was to
come for this young man during his time at the Prep.
He thought of other ways to meet students, and branched
out to join several clubs. “I knew Mr. Raymond Gonzalez
(Science Dept.), so I joined the Aviation Club. I was in it for
three years and served as president at one point.” Collings
continued, “I love flying. I definitely want to go on and get
my pilot’s license later in life.” Bryce was beginning to
come out of his shell.
Take a walk through the hallways of Fordham Prep and
it’s almost assured that you will see senior Montynal
Bryce Collings. The Bronx native is a young man of thin
build with wire glasses and a quick step in his gait. Like a
busy bee scurrying from one plant to the next in search of
nectar, Bryce navigates the halls of Fordham Prep in an
unassuming way, just like any other student on his way to
class. But there is so much more brewing below the
surface. “The more I was at the Prep, the more comfortable I
became. I joined the jazz band because I had played the
clarinet since I was a young boy. Mr. Dylan LaGamma
(Fine Arts Dept.) approached me and asked if I’d switch to
the alto saxophone.” A wry smile came to his face. “I never
had thought about it before, but I figured I had nothing to
lose and went for it. Now I play clarinet in the orchestra
and the alto and tenor saxophones in the Jazz Ensemble.
I took a chance and it worked out.”
Get this taciturn young man talking and his mind races.
His emotions flare and his imagination wanders. He is a
modern day Walter Mitty, but with more bravado and
optimism. Bryce is a risk-taker, a daredevil: think Evel
Knievel with glasses and a necktie. Bryce had this in him
before he even arrived on campus. Collings’ quiet demeanor belies a risk-taking side that
reveals itself at certain times. “For me, taking risks is like,
‘What do I have to lose?’ It’s something I have to do. You
learn from your mistakes so why not try something
different and see where it takes you.”
“Fordham Prep wasn’t my first choice. I liked Stepinac
more. I went to school in the Bronx my entire life and I
wanted to get away.” A chance encounter changed his
mind. “The Prep’s open house was the same day as
Stepinac’s,” he continued, “So I stopped by on my way
home. There was something magical about Fordham
Prep. I knew that was where I wanted to be.” Bryce was
the only student in the Class of 2019 from St. Gabriel’s in
Riverdale. “I was alone and didn’t know anyone. I was a
bit scared.”
Colling’s fears of the unknown were compounded by his
concern about the Prep’s tuition. Fortunately, he received
financial aid thanks to the generosity of Prep alumni.
He has been the William F. Meehan ’70 Scholar. Mr.
Meehan, a lecturer at Stanford University Business School
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For Collings, risk taking has literally landed him in unique
places around the globe. “I went to Alaska; that was cool.
I got to walk on a glacier. Besides Australia, I went on a
Prep trip to Ecuador. Being on the equator was special.”
Bryce is more pragmatic in his college search.