Mr. Diana is a core part of the Jemicy community as a teacher and a coach. Mr. Diana first came to Jemicy in 2017 as a substitute teacher. He enjoys sports, music, and the outdoors.
Mr. Diana graduated from the University of Illinois Chicago with a degree in urban planning. After college, he worked for an urban planning firm where he did not feel fulfilled with the work he was doing. Mr. Diana decided to make a big life change and completely switch careers. He said, “ I had various careers before becoming a teacher but there was something always drawing me back to wanting to teach and I think it was inspiration from the teachers I had in middle and High School.” Mr. Diana has always been inspired by his parents and views them as role models since they are always there for him and he can always count on their word. Mr. Diana always valued when his teachers were able to teach a subject in different ways so that everyone could understand. Once in a college lecture environment where a teacher just talked and students took notes, Mr. Diana realized how valuable being able to talk to students independently is. Mr. Diana’s teachers set a great example for how to teach, which helped Mr. Diana develop his own way of interacting with students. Once at Jemicy, Mr. Diana knew this would be a great school for him to be a part of since he already practiced many of the values that are in the Jemicy Credo.
An example of Mr. Diana seeing a student succeed is when he taught Azariah Bozzell as a sophomore and then as a senior. Azariah struggled with having the confidence to write papers. Throughout his sophomore year, Azariah worked hard and did not stop trying. He continued his hard work during his junior year when he had a different English teacher. Once Azariah was a senior and had Mr. Diana for English again, Mr. Diana was impressed with how much progress he had made in his writing. Azariah confidently applied to college and got into the school of his choice. This experience of seeing a student grow and succeed is very rewarding for Mr. Diana.
Mr. Diana also values sports since it gives students another opportunity to challenge themselves outside of school. Mr. Diana currently coaches basketball, soccer, and lacrosse. Mr. Diana said, “there is a lot of anxiety in school and that sports teach you there is success beyond getting As and Bs in School.” Mr. Diana enjoys seeing all the ways students can succeed in and out of school.
Mr. Diana values kindness, trust, and living in the present. He puts a lot of effort into the small things a lot of people overlook in the business of their day. Mr. Diana taking the time to be kind and respectful to every student impacts everyone’s day and makes Jemicy a better place. Mr. Diana is a great part of the Jemicy community.
MOOSE PRINTS 