Alumni Spotlight

It's hard to single out a single Kennedy memory as my favorite, because I believe the JFK experience gives you an entire collection if you take advantage of what the school has to offer.  The Class of 1991 was very close, and remains so to this day.  We had some great athletic teams, and I loved playing basketball for four years.  The bus rides to and from the games, hanging out in the locker room before and after practices with my friends really created some great bonds.   I enjoyed watching my friends compete in other sports, cheering them on with the rest of the crowd.  We learned some great lessons in class that went beyond academics, but were life lessons that I still remember today.  

 

I had some truly great teachers at Kennedy, like Mr. Karrenbauer and Mr. Hoover.  They taught us like we were in college, with open discussion and responsibilities.  Mr. Zolciak in particular was outstanding.  He knew math inside and out, he commanded respect with his presence but also gave it, and he had a very funny personality.  Our senior year we had a little bit of a prank war going on with him for a while ( I don't know if he would admit to it ).   Math can be very pragmatic, but he made the class interesting and something we looked forward to.  

 

After JFK I moved on to Miami (OH), where I received a BS in Mass Communications in 1995.  I spent a year doing intro level sales jobs before accepting a position with my father's company Essix Resources, and worked with him until the end of 2000.  I took six months off to travel around the world, and came back to purchase Station Square Restaurant in Liberty, Ohio with my brother in law Ottavio and my sister Bridget.  I was there for 9 years, before returning to Essix Resources in 2010.  My wife Kim and I purchased the business from my father at the start of 2017, and I remain the Owner/President to this day.  Essix Resources provides minerals and raw materials to the steel, foundry, and refractory industries.  

 

I don't actually feel like I chose a career as much as I journeyed to the career that I have today.  I had friends in college that immediately knew that they wanted to be teachers, lawyers, doctors, etc.  I think I was always envious of those that had a 'calling' of sorts.  I think doing a number of jobs throughout my post college life before settling into the career that I have today really allowed me to be well rounded and capable to take on my current responsibilities.    We have a business that employs sixteen different people, and the work we do allows those people to provide for their families.  I don't think I would be able to handle early in my career.

 

The accomplishment that I am most proud of is my family.  My wife and I will be married 18 years in September, and really are happy with the life that we have built together.  My wife is very active at JFK (even though she's an Ursuline girl...).  I have two sons at JFK, Santino and Luca,who are unique individuals with different personalities, but excel in numerous ways.  Both are honor roll students athletes, both have great friend groups, both are spoken highly of by their peers and parents.  My mother and father both came from large families that mostly went through the Kennedy system, and to see my wife and children make an impact on the school and families that are there now brings me a lot of pride. 

 

 

The specific advice I would give to the seniors is that life is a journey, a series of events that impact yourself and others down the road.  All of the things that happen, good, bad, and ugly, will form you into the person that you will eventually become.  Don't get stuck, keep moving forward, even when you are unsure of yourself.  Make the most of the opportunities that you are presented, don't waste your talents and time.  Finally, put good out into the world, and good will come back to you.  Do good not for reward, but because it is the right thing to do.