Theresa Messenger ’18, Staff Writer
From one class to the next, Michael Mango-Puglisi will soon find himself in the front of the class room rather than among the students.
A senior history major, Puglisi has successfully completed requirements to fulfill a secondary teacher certification. While he is dedicated to education, Puglisi also found time to be a stand-out player on the baseball field.
“I wanted to go to a smaller school that was not too far away from home and I also wanted to play baseball,” Puglisi said. “Both the academics and the athletic facilities were pretty impressive, and I’ve been fortunate to have been so successful in both areas during my time as a student at LVC.”
Academic success for Puglisi had been most apparent during the annual Pennsylvania Association for Middle Level Education (PAMLE) conference in late February. During the conference, he was honored with the Learning to Teach and Teaching to Learn: Student Teacher of the Year award, gifted to only a handful of students annually.
“I was really excited because I knew that it was a prestigious award,” Puglisi said. “Not many people are honored and they choose from a huge pool of nominees. It’s a pretty competitive award to win and the fact that I was only the second person ever to win from LVC made me feel very accomplished.”
While at the conference, Puglisi was able to meet the first LVC award recipient to gain insight and advice.
“Receiving this award is such an honor, and it really sets you apart from other applicants,” Mary Baldassarre ’16, said. “The award symbolizes your passion and dedication to middle school students, and I could see that in Michael when I first met him. For me personally, it opened up so many opportunities because employers were impressed with seeing that on my resume. I know it will do the same for him.”
Since receiving the award, Puglisi has been able to reflect on his student teaching opportunity and the reasons for his continued dedication to education.
“Student teaching was an awesome experience,” Puglisi said. “I really enjoyed teaching at Palmyra Middle School and my co-op, Mr. Wilver, was very helpful. The whole experience went smoothly and I enjoyed taking control of the classroom for the first time. Student teaching with middle schoolers was a great time. They have so much positive energy which is exciting to work with in the classroom.”
After student teaching concluded, Puglisi could be found focusing much of his time on McGill Field. Last season, he completed his junior career with honors of second team all-conference and ECAC All-Region. This year he was awarded second team all-conference again, and added 25 runs scored for LVC and recorded seven hits in the final three regular-season games. Puglisi was also a key component during the team’s playoff efforts with a home run scored in each of the two games played.
“Baseball has taught me a lot since I first started playing,” Puglisi said. “Integrity, working hard when no one’s watching, time management, team work, responsibility and mental toughness have taken me a long way both on the field and in the classroom. I know how to handle things when they don’t go the way I want them to and just to accept the uncontrollable.”
Puglisi hopes to take all that he has learned from both his education and athletic careers to the next level.
“I had a really great student teaching experience and had an awesome time playing baseball in college,” Puglisi said. “I think now I’m ready to handle any situation that life throws at me because of the skills that both taught me. My next step is to secure a teaching job and ideally, I’d like to take on a coaching position as well.”
Until then, Puglisi is enjoying his final days as a student at LVC.
“I’ve been lucky with the opportunity that LVC has given me in my last four years,” Puglisi said. “I know I’ll miss lacing up my cleats, playing the game I love with my best friends and just being around the guys all of the time. That’s something you just don’t get back.”
With his academic and athletic success, Puglisi is eager to move forward in his career, but is thankful for the experiences and opportunities that LVC has offered him.