For Immediate Release
May 10, 2012
Courtesy of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette, Written by Jennifer Toland
Assumption College football captain Nick DiAntonio of Milford is the valedictorian of the class of 2012, but he's a tiny bit jealous that class salutatorian Kirsten Chirichetti gets to introduce the commencement speaker and that she already got to talk to him.
University of Notre Dame football coach Brian Kelly, Assumption class of '83, will address this year's graduates and receive an honorary degree during the college's 95th commencement exercises Saturday.
"I'm so excited to meet him," DiAntonio said. "To have such a well-known person, the coach of one of the most prominent football programs in the country, come speak to us is incredible."
Kelly apparently was impressed when Chirichetti told him that a football player is the valedictorian. Wait until he meets DiAntonio.
This remarkable 22-year-old has left an indelible mark at Assumption through his excellence in academics, athletics, leadership and service, and through his caring and kindness.
"I think the No. 1 thing is, he's become a tremendous role model," Greyhounds coach Cory Bailey said. "Our guys really look up to him. He's such a positive role model. He does everything the right way."
A linebacker (like Kelly), DiAntonio helped lead Assumption's resurgence under Bailey, and last fall earned — among numerous conference and regional awards — first-team All-Northeast-10 honors after finishing the season with 106 tackles, including a school-record 21 against Southern Connecticut.
His accomplishments extend way beyond the football field. A math major with a concentration in secondary education and a minor in theology, DiAntonio has achieved a perfect 4.0 grade point average for seven straight semesters. His cumulative GPA is 3.98. He received the Rev. Armand Desautels Award as Assumption's premier senior student-athlete.
Yes, he fits that description.
The top 12 students based on GPA are considered for valedictorian. After students submit a three-page essay addressing leadership skills, service activities and why he or she would be a good representative of the class, the field is narrowed to four. The finalists then write a proposed commencement speech and have an interview with the commencement panel.
DiAntonio has fine-tuned his 11-minute speech, entitled "Finding the True North on Your Moral Compasses," and had his first rehearsal — or walkthrough, if you will — Monday morning in preparation for addressing his 500 classmates and thousands of others on the baseball field.
As a team captain, DiAntonio is used to talking in front of large groups. He led the Greyhounds in prayer before every game last season.
"I'm more excited about the opportunity than nervous," DiAntonio said. "My thing in life is I really want to touch as many people as I can, and I think this is an opportunity to share with people my beliefs and what my morals say and what we've learned at Assumption.
"Assumption gives you so many opportunities to expand your life and learn things."
In January, DiAntonio was part of a student group that traveled to Tuscaloosa, Ala., to aid victims of last year's devastating tornado.
DiAntonio will begin graduate studies at Boston College on May 17, just five days after graduation. He will pursue a master's of education in curriculum and instruction, and is interviewing for an assistantship which would entail tutoring student-athletes. He wants to be a math teacher and coach, and did his student teaching this year at Shrewsbury High.
The proudest people in the audience Saturday will be DiAntonio's mom, Mary, and his older brother, Daniel. Their dad, Jay, passed away from pancreatic cancer in 1995 when Nick was just 5 years old.
"It's been the three of us," DiAntonio said, "and we're a tightknit group. My mom is an unbelievable mentor."
Daniel, who lives in San Diego, graduated from Stonehill College and earned his master's degree from Northeastern.
DiAntonio has just a few memories of his dad, who has continued to guide and inspire DiAntonio every day.
"My brother and I learned about how fragile life is," he said, "and how much people underestimate the value of compassion and love for others. My dad was looking down on us (and saying), 'I'm going to make you learn from this.' As a result of his passing, we've learned to care about people. It was awful, but it changed who we are."
Kelly captained the 1981 and 1982 Greyhounds football teams, which then competed at the club level, and earned his bachelor's degree in political science from Assumption.
He served as a football assistant and also coached the AC softball team from 1983 to '86. He was inducted into the Assumption Hall of Fame in 2006.
Kelly will be entering his third season as coach of the Fighting Irish.
