Graduate Profile: Adel DiOrio
Adel DiOrio has always had a passion for Spanish, but it wasn't until her freshman year at Alma College that she realized where that passion could take her.
"I have also been drawn to areas of service to others," the 2000 graduate says. "However, until one night my freshman year, it did not dawn on me that service to people was my career destiny. I realized I wanted to teach. Spanish and math were great for me, but through this career, I could also share them with others."
It was the opportunity to take a variety of classes under Alma's liberal arts approach that led DiOrio to her conclusion.
"Throughout my freshman year, I took the introductory level courses for nearly every major," she says. "I just wanted to give all the career areas a chance before writing them off."
“At Alma, when I needed assistance, whether with scheduling or a particularly challenging assignment, I walked right up to my professors and asked questions. I cannot imagine getting that sort of personal attention anywhere else.”
Her experience at Alma offered her opportunities she would not have gotten elsewhere, including studying abroad in Ecuador.
"I lived with a family and experienced another culture firsthand in the target language," she says. "It really made history and culture come alive for me in a way I could not have imagined."
Now a Spanish teacher in Ionia, DiOrio completed her master's degree in educational administration at Michigan State University. She hopes to become a school administrator.
"The education I received at Alma prepared me more thoroughly for my career than I feel a large university could have," she says. "I firmly believe that the way to teach today's youth is to connect with them. The best way to connect is to know what is going on in the world around them, and around me, not just in my subject.
Her numerous activities at Alma included working, mentoring, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Alma College Education Club, Alpha Phi Omega Coed Service Fraternity and a variety of honorary societies. In addition, she earned the President's Cup for every term and the Outstanding Senior Achievement Award for the highest senior CPA.
"The flexibility and leadership that Alma always encouraged led me to try all sorts of tasks in my teaching career that I may not have tried otherwise," she says.
She chose Alma over two large universities because at Alma, she had the chance to be a name - instead of a number.
"At Alma, when I needed assistance, whether with scheduling or a particularly challenging assignment, I walked right up to my professors and asked questions," she says. "Never did I feel that my concerns were lost in the masses or swept under a rug. I cannot imagine getting that sort of personal attention anywhere else.
