Taylor Aloisio ’20 Reflects on Undergraduate Career as she enters five-year program

Name: Taylor Aloisio ’20

Hometown: East Rockaway, NY

Major/minor: Childhood/special education with a concentration in English

Future plans: Will be returning to Manhattan College for a fifth year as part of the five-year education master’s program

Why did you choose Manhattan College?

The first time I visited campus for a tour, I instantly got that feeling that this was where I belonged. The campus was beautiful, and it was the perfect distance from home. I wanted a small school that had a tight-knit community, and that is exactly what Manhattan College is. They also had a great Education department and a five-year program, which was a big requirement of mine when looking at schools. I have also been dancing since I was 3 years old, and I did not want to stop in college. The Manhattan College dance team was another big selling point for me.

Describe your Manhattan College experience:

Being a Jasper Dancer has been one of the most incredible experiences I have had in my life. The dance team has brought me some of my best friends that I know I can always count on and will be there for me through everything. 

Student teaching this past fall was definitely the most challenging, yet the most rewarding thing I have done academically in college. At times it became very overwhelming, but the relationships that I formed with my students and my cooperating teachers and the experiences I had in the classroom every single day, made all of the stress and hectic day-to-day life worth it. I feel more than prepared to have my own classroom from this experience.

Is there a professor or faculty member who has impacted you?

It's hard to choose just one professor that has had a large impact on my experience at Manhattan College, but a few professors who have really helped me to get to where I am today are Dr. Peter McCarthy, Dr. Lisa Rizopoulos, Dr. Tracy Lahey and the late Brother Raymond Meagher, FSC. 

They are all so passionate  and knowledgeable about teaching that I tried to soak in every bit of information they had to give me. They have all been extremely helpful over the years and have helped mold me into the person that I am today. I know that if I am half the teacher that they all are, I am going to be successful in the classroom. 

What does being a Jasper mean to you?

Being a Jasper means being a team player and doing everything you can to help the people around you. Jaspers do not walk alone in anything that they do and they know that there will always be someone right there ready to help them every step of the way. Being a Jasper is an honor and a name that everyone carries proudly as they move on to all of the different stages in their lives.

What advice would you offer incoming freshmen at Manhattan College?

As cliche as it sounds, your time in college flies by, so don’t take any moment for granted. This school exposes you to so many new opportunities and helps you to discover who you are and who you want to be. 

Live for the long nights in the library, the hours stressing over a paper or test,

sitting in class with some of your best friends, all of it, because one day, you’ll be fondly looking back on all of those memories and realizing that those four years in college were really something special. 

Interviewed by: Madison Smith ’21