Rock Talk
Rock Talk is the official podcast of Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri — where we explore the voices, values, and vibrant life of our Jesuit, college-prep community. Hosted by the Admissions and Marketing team, each episode features conversations with students, faculty, alumni, and special guests as we share stories of academic excellence, faith formation, brotherhood, and service. Whether you're a prospective family, a proud alumnus, or simply curious about what makes Rockhurst unique — this is your inside look at life at The Rock.
Rock Talk
Two Seniors Explain How They Chose College And What Rockhurst Taught Them
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Senior year goes fast, and it gets real the moment you start saying your goodbyes. Steve sits down with two Rockhurst seniors, Draden Torline and David Pryor, for an honest conversation about what they’ll remember most, what they’re chasing next, and what they wish more people understood about Rockhurst High School in Kansas City.
We get into the practical side of college decisions too. David shares why the University of Tennessee Knoxville felt like the right move, from financial support to career-aligned opportunities like internships and exposure to venture capital and private equity. Draden talks through choosing Hartford Community College as a strategic step to keep lacrosse moving forward while balancing cost and the reality that Midwest athletes can be under-recruited compared to players out east. If you’re a student sorting through offers or a parent trying to understand the “why” behind a decision, this is the kind of clarity you want to hear.
The conversation keeps coming back to the same Rockhurst themes: brotherhood, initiative, and growth outside your comfort zone. We talk school spirit, championships, Tide trips, and what it feels like to walk into a new building and quickly find your people. David also explains the finance club and the ambitious idea of a student-led endowment, a reminder that leadership can start in high school when students are trusted with real responsibility.
If you care about Jesuit education, college prep, student leadership, and what it looks like to launch well from high school into college, press play. Subscribe to Rock Talk, share this with a future Rockhurst family, and leave a review with the one lesson you wish you’d learned before senior year.
Welcome Back To Rock Talk
SPEAKER_03Welcome to Rock Talk, the official podcast of Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri, where we explore the voices, values, and vibrant life of our Jesuit college prep community. Hosted by the Admissions and Marketing Team, each episode features conversations with students, faculty, alumni, and special guests as we share stories of academic excellence, faith formation, brotherhood, and service. Whether you're a prospective family, a proud alumnus, or simply curious about what makes Rockhurst unique, this is your inside look at Life at the Rock. And I'm your host, one of your hosts. It's uh just me today. Beth is running around like a mad woman, as always. We're always moving around and doing who knows what at any given time, but it's Steve. I am one of the directors of the admissions office. And we are bringing the podcast back. We had a hiatus, as I mentioned before, last episode was just a busy admission season, which is a blessing. And had this idea to get some of our seniors on the podcast because these boys are on the way out. And so I got a couple guys with me. We're going to talk about their time at Rockhurst. We're going to talk about what's next and wherever the conversation goes from there. So, fellas, go ahead, introduce yourself to the community.
SPEAKER_00I'm Draden Torline. I'm a senior here at Rockhurst, and I'm planning on going to Hartford Community College next year.
SPEAKER_01I'm David Pryor, and I'm a senior and planning on going to the University of Tennessee Knoxville next year.
Why Tennessee And Hartford
SPEAKER_03Love it. Love it. Love it. So let me ask this question. Because, you know, we talked a little bit about this, you know, off-air, if you will. How'd you come up with the University of Tennessee?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, so I mean, I got into a lot of good schools, and I don't know, I was just weighing my options and I'm a little biased because my best friend also got in the University of Tennessee. So I thought it'd kind of be a hard opportunity to turn down. I also got like good money and good opportunities over there. And I just felt like all the signs were pointing me that way.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Knoxville is a fun place, man. I've I've been through there. I haven't like spent a boatload of time there, but seems like a fun college experience. So I'm excited for you. And what about you, Drayton? What got you over to Hartford? Okay, I just want to make sure. That's one of the I don't know why that word is hard for me. I'm like, Harvard, Harvard, Hartford, got you. All right.
SPEAKER_00Uh yeah. So I feel like just being in Kansas and Missouri, you're under-recruited, especially because lacrosse is big up east. Okay. And so I think this is just a great opportunity to really get my name out there. Okay. Next year. I mean, I had another offer, Division I offer up there, but just not the price I was wanting. And so I feel like going this year with community college will for sure be a good step for me. Okay. Starting.
SPEAKER_03That's what's up, man. That's what's up. So lacrosse, and then you're just you're not playing baseball.
SPEAKER_01No, I'm going there. I think I'm a major in finance.
SPEAKER_03Okay. You know what you want to study at?
SPEAKER_01Either finance or accounting.
SPEAKER_03Oh my goodness. Look at you guys. I was uh telling the boys before when I went here. I don't know if you guys know. I I was I'm an alum of class of 04, and I am really truly like amazed and impressed by how well thought our young men are. Like you're going, like for so for me, I'm like, I'm going to college. I don't I figure out whatever I need to figure out. So for you guys to have a sense what you want to do, I think is really cool because it's just gonna allow you to take more calculated action on your future. Anything in particular in those fields that you're interested in?
SPEAKER_00Not really, no.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for me, I want to get in the private equity sector. So and there in Knoxville, there's like a VC firm. So I mean that's one of the biggest decisions, like one of the biggest reasons why I picked it, because I have a lot of internships with the university. So I mean, it's just a good opportunity to get into private equity and I don't know, a lot of money in private equity.
Career Goals Finance And Private Equity
SPEAKER_03Yeah, for sure, man. It's hard to bless people when your pockets is low. So I understand that, man. Well, cool, cool, cool, cool. One of the questions that we've been asking is, you know, really pointed and really simple, kind of like a layup, if you will. When you think about your time this year, right? You're a senior, you're on your way out, you're the big dogs of the school. What's been one of your favorite moments so far this year in this last round?
SPEAKER_02Don't all speak at once.
SPEAKER_01I mean, I mean, for me, like I don't necessarily have like a specific moment, but I think it just like all the like moments and memories that like I've cultivated this year, like all the football games, like especially, like that's what sticks out to me the most. Like I was on the yellow leading team, so getting the opportunity to go out on the field with my boys, just see all the crew, see see all the crowd, and like just have everyone like yell and like all just the school spirit. And like I transferred from a smaller school, so we didn't I didn't really get the opportunity to like see like a big crowd or have the school spirit like that. And I always try to cultivate it like at that school, but like I I guess it was hard because it was such a small school, but and just having the opportunity to like just experience that firsthand, and I guess like lead it in a sense, I was just like awesome, and I just thought that was so much fun from all the football games, basketball games, and everything.
SPEAKER_03Cool. What's this? What about you, boss?
SPEAKER_00Yeah, for me, I would say um my freshman and sophomore year winning the LA KC championship with the lacrosse team, that was really special. I mean, coming in, I didn't really know a lot of people other than a few lacrosse guys, and so with that, I mean, I was able to make new new friends with people. And yeah, it was just amazing.
SPEAKER_03That's cool. So, but let's back up real quick. So you said you transferred, and then you where where did you come from?
Favorite Moments And School Spirit
SPEAKER_01So I came I came from the Barstow.
SPEAKER_03Barstow, okay.
SPEAKER_01Where and transferred after my freshman year.
SPEAKER_03Gotcha. Okay. And where did you come from?
SPEAKER_00I came from Charlridge middle school.
SPEAKER_03Okay. What district? Shiny Mission. Yeah. Okay. Cool. That's what's up, man. I I love hearing that because it's like one of those things where we talk about it a lot to prospective young men and prospective families about the importance of being connected in rockers. Um, it's interesting hearing how important that is for you guys, you know, and how impactful that is. Like, you know what I mean? It's like both sides of the coin. It's like, yeah, we say it and we understand it and we know it because that's a part of our culture. But actually hearing like this is the thing that like meant a lot to me was, you know, winning that championship or that league or being able to just be involved at the games and stuff like that. That's pretty cool, man, for sure. So, okay, you got that. And then tell me what you're excited about. Going to moving on. What's what's exciting about that? Or if it's not exciting, what's what are you thinking about, what you're worried about?
SPEAKER_00I'm most excited, obviously, to play lacrosse at the next level.
SPEAKER_03Okay.
SPEAKER_00But it's also gonna be it's far away from home, so I'm a little nervous about that part.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, for sure. How far how far of a a jaunt is that? Um because I have no idea where Bel Bel Air is at.
SPEAKER_00When you said that, I was like, Yeah, I think somewhere over that way. I think it's like a 16 or some close to a day drive.
SPEAKER_03Okay. Yeah. So it's out there out there. Yeah. Gotcha. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, kind of same thing for me. Like, I'm kind of going a little far, so it's gonna be hard for like my mom to get there. She really wanted me to go to school in Dallas. So, but I mean, I'm just excited for next year, meeting new friends, and just getting new opportunities that I'll rise, like get an internship somewhere. Yeah. And yeah, I'm just excited for the opportunities that Tennessee will bring.
Excited For College Nervous Too
SPEAKER_03That's cool, man. And it's funny because like our last guest were both, you know, well, one one of them was a current athlete going on to play, and then, you know, one was just going to school. And it's it's really interesting because you guys are both going to places where you're going to be able to have a awesome time. And I just mean how you're going, right? Like I was a guy I played at Mizzou, and it was super cool to be a part of it. And yeah, while it wasn't always good when I first got there, it was. It was it was a cool experience to be a student athlete at the collegiate level. You're going to a school where the college experience is fun. I've had friends that have gone to Tennessee, and they they talk about I I mean, I think Tennessee generally is kind of on the rise when you look at the different cities, whether it's Nashville, Knoxville is always a fun spot. You're going to be in a cool environment to be able to enjoy, you know, we live by work hard, play hard, pray hard here. And so it's going to be that opportunity for you to be able to enjoy yourself as well as you're pursuing your goals and all of that stuff, which is really cool. So let's go here. And this is one question that I ask just because I think it's important. You know, when we do this podcast, there are thousands of people who listen to this podcast. We've had guests on before where I say, you know, remember, you're not just talking to like the Rockers community, you're talking to the larger community. So we've gotten comments, we've gotten, you know, contacts about people just saying how well spoken our students are, how thoughtful our students are, just how different we sound and all of this. But I say all of that to say like when you think about your four years here, when you think about the opportunities that you've been afforded here, what is what is something that you wish people knew better about Rockers High School?
What People Miss About Rockhurst
SPEAKER_01So for me, it's just the opportunities here, you have to succeed in making change. Like many people think like because it's a bigger school, like they're just gonna be like one person out of the flock or whatever. But like the second I transferred, like I I knew I wanted to make like an impact in the school. And I really I took initiative that and I really there was opportunities here to do that. Like I started my own club here, started the finance club. Okay, and yeah, and and through that, there's just been like great opportunities. Like I've gone, like we we're gonna be starting something here, hopefully the next year, that no other high school in like the country has almost like we're gonna be starting a student-led endowment here. Like basically the students in the finance club are gonna be managing real world money to basically go to scholarships and go to club funding and other things like that. And I really think like if I like if I was at any other school, like I that wouldn't be possible. Like for the past two years, I've been meeting with administrators, with like teachers and like other people, and like I just like didn't see that opportunity being able to rise at like Barstow or like other schools like that. And that just like just shows like the opportunities that come here. And also one thing that I was worried about was like I only knew two guys coming into here, you know. But um I mean making friends like wasn't a problem whatsoever. Like I felt welcome the second I walked into those doors. I mean, and I got friends here that I can say will be friends like for the rest of my life. Yeah, they wouldn't past college and everything, and yeah, I just I mean, yeah.
SPEAKER_03That's cool, man. That's what's up. What about you?
SPEAKER_00I would say the ability to like the opportunity to step out of your comfort zone. I mean, obviously I didn't know many people, but I went on I've been on like every tide trip other than Tijuana. So I feel like especially with those, those are a great opportunity, not just to meet new people, but also to like help the community around us.
Advice For Freshmen And Future Seniors
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and that and I mean in a real way. Yeah, I haven't been on one yet, but like people tell me stories, and I'm like, oh, they were like working, working. Like it's not just hey, let me go pick up some litter. Like they're actually doing some impactful stuff, which you know, even think about like the impact that that has across the group that goes and does that. Like, that's a you know, a very deep experience that you're having with a group of people, which is really cool. And this is uh, I mean, this is also what I would encourage you, just random, you know, sidebars. Like, don't lose that approach and that that mentality. Like, this is what we have to keep doing as you know, you're the next batch of brothers leaving here. Is like I didn't, I I've I actually got to talk to you about the finance club and how that fits with my club. I didn't know that that was like that's really cool. And there's so many different stories like that. It's the only conversation that can allow you to actually have a read on what's going on because it's just like we do a lot of stuff here back to the opportunity and back to these experiences. And it's like I have a private passion project of like, man, I just want to know what's going on as best I can. Like, I feel like every time I look up, somebody's going to state, somebody's doing this thing, it's an award ceremony, we celebrating somebody, and it's like almost hard to keep track of. But it's all like great stuff. So that's really cool. Couple more questions. And this one is similar to the one I asked you, but a touch different. When you think about what you guys just shared, what is what's a piece of advice maybe that you would give your younger self or your we know there's freshmen here. We know there's gonna be another batch of freshmen coming in. So as seniors looking forward, you know, your last day is, you know, Thursday, at least, at least in the building. And what would you give, what wisdom would you give to somebody that's behind you on the way up? And it could be if it's a you got a thought about something freshman year you wish you would have known, or somebody that's gonna be a senior next year, just a just a word of wisdom for them.
SPEAKER_00Well, for me, obviously, don't don't be afraid to get out of my comfort zone. But also coming into Rockhurst with public school in the past, especially academically, I thought it was gonna be just handed to me, I guess. And so I think if I were to tell my freshmen yourself, just work more. Okay. And I mean, yeah, nothing's really gonna be handed to me.
SPEAKER_02Yeah. Okay.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, for me, I would say just take initiative, you know, because I mean there's a lot of people here that have the capabilities to do like great things. I mean, that everyone has the capability to do great things, and there's opportunities here, but not everyone like takes advantage of them. So I would just say like take advantage of the opportunities that you're given and just run with them, man. Yeah, and like do something great and leave your stamp here. That makes sense.
Brotherhood After Graduation Closing
SPEAKER_03Yeah, that makes perfect sense. And that's you know, again, this is funny. It's not funny, but it's just like interesting to me to hear you guys say the same thing that I say to people who are thinking about bringing their sons here. So it it it kind of makes me happy that okay, that it that's a byproduct of the culture. You got opportunity here, like you're gonna have to work. Yeah, you know, I tell people all the time the common characteristic of every Rockhurst man that leaves and graduates from here is that they was willing to show up and do the work. Like you wanted to be here and you wanted to do the work. On days it didn't feel great, on days it was easy on all of those, because you you have to, you know, and that's that's really cool. But it's also like, yeah, and when you do that and you take care of your business, you you have so many opportunities in front of you. And why I say it that way, it's like if I'm not handling business, I'm drinking out of a fire hose all the time because I'm behind, I'm not focused, or whatever. But when you actually acclimate and take care of your business, it's like, yeah, dude, the sky's the limit for what you're able to create and produce here. And that is unique in terms of a high school experience environment. And that's also something that I hope you boys know and take with you is the same approach you gotta have in the next phase of your life. Like, college is not gonna be any different. You're gonna show up, new environment. Hopefully, you're a little more seasoned and getting out of your comfort zone and getting plugged in and knowing people, and and then you're gonna be like, oh, this is familiar. It's the same cycle over and over again, man. So I'm excited for you boys. I I'm looking forward to, you know, seeing what that next phase looks like because, you know, as you press deeper into the brotherhood, you know, we we keep tabs on you, man. You know, it's this is a unique place in the sense of you got a lot of folks that continue to root for you. And that's something that I think is I'm so grateful for. That's the reason I'm back here. Like I I crossed somebody's mind along the way, and they're like, hey man, here's an opportunity here that I think would fit you, and they didn't stop bothering me. It's the same deal. Like, you got people rooting for you, you got people that want to support you that come from this place because we understand, we understand our each other in a different way. And so I I'll I'll extend that invitation to you guys as you leave. You'll have my number, anything you need, you hit me up, man, because it's it's always exciting to see our seniors go to that next step and you know, keep keep pursuing and doing the same things that they've been doing here. So and like I said, that's it. Like this is this is just a conversation. I'm not gonna hold you too long. Appreciate you boys being here, for sure. This is always refreshing just to have a moment to sit down and talk with, you know, any of our students. So I'm glad that you guys are here. And again, for for the listeners, this is another set of seniors ready to go dominate and take over in the next level. So keep your eyes out for them, your ears out for what they do. And this is Steve with Rock Talk. We'll talk soon.