This past May marked Mr. Vezzali’s 35th anniversary since graduating from Riordan, where he now works as a dedicated teacher.
Reflecting on the start of his career, he talked about the very memories at Riordan that helped spark his career and create lifelong memories during his time at our school. “I have so many wonderful memories of my time at Riordan; probably the biggest one is the Kairos retreat; a lot of guys from my class would say that. That was a really powerful experience for a lot of us.” Said Vezzali
Kairos is a retreat in which many Riordan alumni make lifelong memories, bringing the community of students together while gaining a sense of self-discovery.
Mr. Vezzali reminisced on his senior year English teacher, Mr. Swanson, who had awakened his love for story and literature, changing the course of his life. Unfortunately, a year after Vezzali graduated, Mr. Swanson passed away from a long illness. His legacy still lives on through the impact he had on his students, one of whom was Mr. Vezzali.
“He was a really wonderful human being,” he said, “He was my Kairos moderator, LIFE retreat moderator, and my senior English teacher. I can’t talk about Riordan without talking about Mr. Swanson. My classmates would agree that all of us who have had him as a teacher agree that we really loved him.”
He added, “I try to carry his spirit with me every day and be the best teacher I can be for you guys. So in that way, Riordan was absolutely fundamental for me and absolutely important for my career trajectory.”
Since his return to Riordan as a teacher, he’s been teaching English, even becoming the House of Bolts Provincial. Additionally, he’s proud of the literary magazine award the school received and the privilege of guiding students throughout the years.
“I can’t believe it’s been 35 years when I think about that number, I think ‘Man I feel like I was just here yesterday, hanging out in the cafe as a student, and even every once in a while I get a smell in the cafeteria that reminds me what it was like 35 years ago.”
To celebrate the 35th anniversary of his graduation, Vezzali gathered with his fellow classmates at the school’s alumni tailgate during the football game against St. Ignatius reminiscing on their years as a student at Riordan.
Since Mr. Vezzali’s start of his career at Riordan, he has embodied the school values and spirit through teaching and his willingness to help students learn and persevere through their senior year.
He concluded, “I’m proud and honored to be a part of your young lives. I think the greatest accomplishment I feel has been here in the classroom with the students interacting every day; it’s a long, oftentimes tedious, frustrating process for students. It’s a struggle sometimes and I feel accomplished at graduation when I see you guys proudly walk across the stage, knowing that you finished the struggle, you did what you stuck through.”
