Then and Now: Ray Rizzo, Whitman High School

HuntingtonNow.com takes a look at what some graduates of local high schools  are doing these days.

Name: Raymond Rizzo

High School: Walt Whitman High School

Year Graduated: 2011

Comment about your high school experiences: I had a great educational experience at Whitman. I felt challenged and to this day, some of the best instructors I have had have been from high school. I served as a class officer for 3 years ,helping organize junior prom, prom, blood drives and various other events for the class of 2011. I am extremely grateful for my high school experience and look back on memories of Whitman reminiscently. 

Immediate post-high school (college, gap year, work, etc.):  Immediately after high school I went to study at SUNY Geneseo. Geneseo, although a small, liberal arts college outside Rochester, it fostered an internationally aware environment. I majored in International Relations and Economics and completed a study abroad semester in Barcelona, Spain in 2013. In 2014, I completed a three-month internship working in sustainable development in Jinja, Uganda empowering a local farming cooperative on budgeting and saving strategies. I graduated with my BA in International Relations and Economics in May 2015.

What you’re doing now (Including where): Currently, I am in my second year as a Peace Corps volunteer in northern Nicaragua as an entrepreneurship education volunteer.

Comment about what you’re doing now: As an Entrepreneurship Education Program (EEP) volunteer my primary work is focused in the education system of Nicaragua. EEP volunteers work directly with high school teachers who have been assigned to teach an applied course on how to start a business as an option for self-employment after graduation- the course is called “Aprender, Eprender, Prosperar,” or Learn, Innovate, Thrive. My main job is to probe the teachers during weekly “coaching” sessions to enhance their knowledge of entrepreneurship and co-teach lessons with them as part of Peace Corps’ sustainable approach to development. I also work with a few small businesses in my town focusing on creating business plans and money management. I have one more year left here in Peace Corps Nicaragua and plan on seeking opportunities in international affairs after my service.

Where do your parents or family live: My parents still reside in South Huntington. My brother is in his senior year at SUNY Brockport and my sister is finishing up her freshman year at SUNY Geneseo.

Others featured in Then and Now

Kate Deegan

Amrom Svay

Anna Harris

 

 

 

 

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