Three community experiences spurred me personally and professionally
By Salvatore "Torre" DiFilippo
Three experiences out in the community during college have changed how I thought, communicated, and saw education. Each pushed my boundaries beyond the classroom into real-world situations that ultimately benefited my college experience. They didn't just supplement my education, they helped transition me to become better personally and professionally.
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| I guided students in self-reflection while student teaching at a local school. |
Dark Tourism History Project
As a part of a Civil War history class, I was tasked with teaming up with a travel agency website. The goal of this project was to write a blog post about a place that people could visit. Taking the dark tourism name literally, I chose a historical site with a haunted past: Old Fort Niagara. I worked directly with the website’s editor to craft my content to draw readers in. This process required back-and-forth to ensure that my writing was ready for publication.
Working under an editor pushed me to refine my writing to engage public audiences while still providing sufficient information to get my point across. This approach required adjustment, but the experience gave me insight into the complexity of writing and further refined my writing skills. The result: Old Fort Niagara: The Haunted Stronghold with a Dark Past.
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| Fort Niagara is on the Niagara River and Lake Ontario in Youngstown, New York. |
Archival History
For an archival research history course, I visited various museums and archives in the Rochester area, sifting through original artifacts and learning archival research methods and their purpose for the preservation of history. Historians and archivists gave me a chance to see the methods behind keeping our history alive. For example, one archive required me to wear special gloves so I didn’t harm the documents. Another had me sort through and reorganize documents that were not yet digitized, ensuring future work could be completed easier.
My field work showed me the ways that history is actively preserved and interpreted, not just recorded. Engaging with various professionals and artifacts taught me how to critically analyze materials in future history coursework. The first-hand experience also deepened my appreciation for museum professionals’ behind-the-scenes work to ensure that history is presented for generations to see and remember.
Student Teaching
Perhaps my most impactful experience was student teaching. Accumulating the full responsibilities of a teacher, this experience helped me form better speaking skills, time management, adaptability, and responsibility. I needed to understand the curriculum and standards and come prepared every day to properly deliver content to students. The relationships I built with students and staff were meaningful and helped me understand how I could become a great teacher.
I learned how to assess the complex needs of my students to form engaging and meaningful lessons. I saw how teaching was not only about delivering information, but trying to inspire curiosity and critical thinking. As I journey to my professional life, these experiences will stick with me indefinitely.
Based on my experiences, my advice to students: Push yourself outside your comfort zone and take advantage of learning experiences that show you more than a textbook ever could.
Salvatore "Torre" DiFilippo '25 is a history and inclusive adolescence education major and lacrosse athlete who plans on a career as a social studies teacher and coach.
The Civil War dark history tourism project is part of Nazareth's involvement in the Council of Independent Colleges' Work-Based Learning Consortium, which ties private-sector businesses with college courses to help students develop skills through real-world projects designated by the businesses.
