All the way from the small town of Pozzallo, Italy, Antonina DiStefano brings “the sun,” to Syracuse.

“I come from this little town on the water and the sun was always shining down,” DiStefano said. “There was the water that splashed on the rocks and the pigeons that fly, (and I felt) how important it is to have a sun that shines, a sun that gives you strength. The vision of that, it’s with me all the time.”

That vision has stayed with DiStefano for quite a while, as she has been a Spanish and Italian professor at Syracuse University for 35 years, bringing light to students who are interested in learning a new language.

“I bring the sun, the energy of the sun with me, and I come smiling into the classroom,” DiStefano said. “The sun warms you up, the warmth comes from the heart, and the students feel that.”

A student, DiStefano said, had been ready to give up on the Italian language after Italian 101. At the beginning of the next semester, the student showed up in her class and said, “I missed you.” That same student has since visited DiStefano’s relatives in Italy and DiStefano said she considers the student to be an authentic member of her family.

One of the ways DiStefano is able to create such a strong bond with her students is her incentive to move beyond the books.

“The exercise in the book is just about other people,” DiStefano said. “So I say, ‘Close the book. Tell me about you.’”

This opens the door for more personal communication with students, which is the most important thing to DiStefano. She’s the teacher, but she learns from the personal connections she makes with them.

DiStefano added that the entire language department shares this same philosophy, especially since coming under the leadership of professor Gail Bulman.

“Teaching’s not a job,” she said. “If you think you do it for money, then you’re in the wrong profession.”

In this regard, DiStefano cannot foresee retirement any time in her near future.

“Thirty-five years, but I’m not tired,” DiStefano said. “It’s the kids that keep me young.”

Published on September 3, 2014 at 12:01 am

Contact Jesse: jlnich02@syr.edu