As a math major, Nicholas DiAntonio ‘12 was encouraged to seek a high-paying job in the field of actuarial math or finance. But DiAntonio had his heart set on becoming a teacher.
“Sitting in an office crunching numbers, I’m not going to have as much of a positive impact on a lot of people,” he explained. “As a teacher and a coach, I have the ability to have really positive relationships with kids that I wouldn’t have in many other professions. It’s a profession that allows you to impact others.”
DiAntonio, a math teacher at Natick High School since 2014 as well as the varsity football defensive coordinator and Unified track coach (an inclusive sports program that unites Special Olympics athletes and students as teammates for training and competition), said he didn’t choose his vocation to make money, but to make a difference. It’s something he learned at Assumption through the University’s motto —“Until Christ Be Formed in You” — and his relationship with Fr. Barry Bercier, A.A. After taking the class, The Problem of God, with Fr. Barry, the two formed a bond; Fr. Barry even officiated DiAntonio’s wedding to Nicole (Savi) ’13, G’14. The couple now has two children.
“We talked a lot about the importance of raising young men to be positive contributors to society and how now, more than ever, we need strong young men because there are so many challenges in this world,” he said. “Fr. Barry’s emphasis on the importance of developing young individuals is something I really value and bring to my everyday teaching and coaching – not just teaching them the X’s and O’s of football, but the importance of treating everyone with compassion and developing positive relationships.”
Treating others with compassion was instilled in DiAntonio at a young age. After losing his father – a firefighter and a pillar in the Milford community – to cancer at the age of 5, he and his older brother were committed to carrying on his legacy. “Going through that at such a young age, you have to grow up pretty quickly,” DiAntonio explained. “We learned that life is pretty fragile and there is no time to spend looking down on others. There is only room for helping others and making a difference. That’s some- thing we really tried to embrace growing up.”
DiAntonio began volunteering with Special Olympics Milford in eighth grade after falling in love with working with students with special needs when he accompanied his brother on a volunteer assignment. DiAntonio volunteered with the organization’s track and field team throughout high school and college, and after graduating from Assumption, he and a friend created a Special Olympics powerlifting team, as well as a Unified wrestling team he coached for three years. Since 2013, the powerlifting team has grown from eight to 20 kids, mirroring the program’s statewide growth.
Though DiAntonio was attracted to Assumption for the opportunity to play football, the University’s values and mission were of the utmost importance. In his valedictorian address, DiAntonio urged his fellow graduates to focus on their character rather than their reputation, a concept he embodies as a teacher.
“Yes, I need my kids to learn math, but I also need them to be useful, contributing, positive members of society,” DiAntonio shared. “If they leave my classes knowing the quadratic formula, that’s awesome. But if they leave my classroom a better person than when they came and understand the importance of caring for others, identifying ways to volunteer their time, and being an overall positive person, that’s the most important thing to me.”
For DiAntonio, it all comes back to the Assumption mission. “Teaching is a profession in which you are trying to put the needs of others before your own; you’re trying to help build people,” he explained. “You don’t necessarily see the fruits of your labor tomorrow; you see them five or 10 years from now when these people are contributing members of society. That’s what I value most about teaching.”
