As you’re growing up, you learn that if you want to be treated like an adult, you have to first act like one.
It’s a vital lesson that Matt Loria, a class of 1995 graduate from De La Salle Collegiate, initially learned as a Pilot student. And, it’s been a key component of the De La Salle experience since the all-boys, college preparatory school first opened its doors in 1926.
Over the years, it’s helped transform thousands and thousands of adolescents into well-rounded men, including Loria himself.
“When I think about how most teachers behaved, they treated you like adults. I think there was a switch that went off between junior and senior year, where I feel this treatment became more apparent. The school’s ‘Builders of Boys. Makers of Men.’ slogan became more apparent,” Loria said. “You kind of reap what you sow. If I would’ve only behaved like a child continually, I would’ve been treated like one.”
Loria pinpointed Bill Littlejohn, a one-time, long-tenured art teacher at De La Salle, as a prime example of a teacher who provided their students with a sense of autonomy. Additionally, he fondly remembers taking part in an independent art study with Littlejohn as a senior.
“Mr. Littlejohn would allow a lot of things. But, he was very fair and balanced, which made me behave more like an adult,” Loria expressed. “Doing some things on my own while I was in school, like the independent art study, made me really feel like a trusted adult.”
Loria remembers fellow longtime DLS teachers Mike Szatkowski, ‘73, Evo Alberti, and Br. Xavier Pankovits, FSC '60, also being tough but fair educator. Each of them, like Littlejohn, expected a lot of their students. But, at the end of the day, it paid dividends for Loria. It taught Loria, as a teenager, that he had to work hard and make good decisions to succeed, both inside and outside the classroom.
Loria vividly recalls having a difficult time in Br. Xavier’s class. “Br. X,” as he was affectionately known, was a longtime member of the De La Salle science department, and taught a countless number of students in chemistry, including Loria.
“Br. Xavier was one of the teachers at De La Salle who talked to me like a grownup. And, because of such, I knew I had to make wise decisions in his class,” Loria conveyed. “I didn’t always get the best grades in his class, though. And, to this day, I remember him saying, ‘If you promise not to go into a chemistry-based career, I’ll pass you.’”
Loria wasn’t the only member of his family that attended DLS, either. His three younger brothers, Mike, ‘97, Tim, ‘15, and Robert, ‘16, all also graduated from The Collegiate, as did his son David, ‘11.
His cousins, Chris, ‘97, and Brian Weitzel, ‘00, also attended the all-boys, Catholic school. And, Loria hopes to have his two younger sons, Simon, 12, and Jacob, 10, also graduate from De La Salle one day.
The high school has had a profound impact on the man Loria is today, and there’s no denying the fact he is a De La Salle Pilot, through and through, to this day.
Loria – now the CEO of the Rochester (Mich.)-based, IT service company, Auxiom – has stayed actively involved with his alma mater since graduating, too.
He’s currently a member of the Christian Brothers’ Dinner committee and previously served as the chairman of the committee for the annual dinner. He served as the chair for three years.
Additionally, Auxiom, which was founded in 2014, has provided its IT services to DLS for several years now. The company manages the infrastructure and security elements for the school, plus supports the internal IT personnel.
Over the years, Loria has also done business with numerous DLS alumni.
Individuals like Mark St. Peter, ‘81, and Pat Desmet, the father of Pat (PJ) Desmet, ‘16, helped get the company off the ground. Meanwhile, Ben Aloia, ‘91, has helped Auxiom grow its clientele, while Tony Sorgi, ‘03, aided the company in getting into its current space in Rochester.
Loria has also sought advice on business matters from the likes of the Brillati brothers - Paul, ‘90, Steve, ‘93, and Michael, ‘93 – plus Mark Wisniewski, ‘75, and past parent Tim Orlando, whose sons, Alex, ‘09, and Nick, ‘12, attended DLS.
Aloia and Orlando, both attorneys at Aloia Law, assist Auxiom with all of its legal needs.
“There’s a very noticeable camaraderie among the DLS alumni, regardless of the year you graduated,” Loria said. “As you grow older, you realize more and more that there’s a loyalty to the school that’s strong, even long after you graduate.”
As Loria can attest, the bonds and friendships you develop as a student at De La Salle don’t just last four years. They last forever.
And, whenever you need assistance, no matter the area it is in, there is guaranteed to be a DLS alumnus willing to offer a helping hand.
It’s a vital part of the De La Salle difference, which has been in effect now for nearly a century.