Featured Story

Left to right: Robert MBA ’14, Victoria, Tina ’21 MS ’22, Joseph and Teresa ’93, MS ‘97

There are 16 family members who have attended Adelphi over the decades. Teresa Piccirillo-Tudisco attended Adelphi starting in 1989, graduating with her BS in Education ‘93 and MS ‘97. Teresa originally decided to go to Adelphi because her older brother Angelo Piccirillo was already attending Adelphi and was having a fantastic experience. During Teresa’s time at Adelphi she made wonderful friendships and had amazing professors and classes. Adelphi and the Education Department solidified her desire to become an early childhood educator. Adelphi made her transition from student to teacher smooth and effortless and provided her with many opportunities for career success.

Robert Tudisco, MBA ‘14 decided in 2009 that he wanted to pursue his MBA, 15 years after completing his Electrical Engineering degrees. The idea of returning to school at night, while working full-time and raising a family was daunting. But, after reviewing several schools and their programs, the choice was clear. The opportunity to attend an AACSB accredited school of business, with small classroom sizes and dedicated professors from all walks of the academic and business worlds made Adelphi the obvious choice. The experience was fantastic, and the MBA has opened many doors for Robert. He has moved into executive level positions over the last 10 years as a result. He is also a very active alumni, attending career/resume preparation and interview skills workshops at Adelphi to help current students prepare themselves for their careers. He also volunteers his time as a trumpet player for the Adelphi University concert band.

Robert and Teresa’s daughter Tina knew her college choice was an easy decision to make. She took part in the 5-year combined Bachelor’s/Master’s Scholar Teacher Education Program for Childhood Education at Adelphi. She was also a member of the AU Honors College and graduated Summa Cum Laude with her BA in History ‘21. During her undergraduate experience, she had the opportunity to learn from so many people, and she formed connections with classmates and professors that she still has today. In her Graduate year (2022), she had the privilege of being an Adelphi resident student teacher in the Mineola UFSD, where she was hired thereafter as an Elementary Teacher. She is entering her third year in the district and cannot thank the Adelphi community enough for enabling her growth as an educator.

The extended Piccirillo-Tudisco families are all proud to be Adelphi alumni (as well as some who are current students) because of the wonderful opportunities their Adelphi experiences have brought to them over the years! Additional Panthers are Angelo Piccirillo ’92, MS ‘94, Raquel Derasmo-Piccirillo ‘94, MS ‘96, Stefano Derasmo ‘92, MBA ‘94,  Robert Morea ‘94, Mark Novello ’21, Gina Novello ‘26, Gerarda McDougal Certificate ‘18, Sarah Schmitt ‘19, Mariann Giambrone-Petruso ‘98, Anthony Petruso ‘24, Leonard Poppi ‘96, Gary Jansen ‘92 and Edward Jansen ‘25. #PANTHERPROUD!