Michael Lipari

Michael Lipari vividly recalls telling his first advisor at St. John’s that he wanted to teach history—and so he is!  A 2015 graduate armed with both a liberal arts and an education major in that discipline, Michael continued his studies at Fordham University at night for two years in its graduate history program while working as a substitute teacher at Long Island high schools. Any teacher will attest to the fact that substitute teaching is a fall-safe litmus test of a teaching vocation, and Michael passed and even thrived.

At Fordham, Michael studied Roman Catholic Canon Law and the relationship between the Catholic Church and French nobility in the district of Champagne.  These studies culminated in two graduate theses and his graduation from Fordham in 2017 with a master’s degree in medieval history.

Presently, Michael, a born master teacher on the way to tenure, is on the faculty of Sanford H. Calhoun High School on Long Island, New York.  As a history teacher, Michael has had the honor and pleasure of not only teaching parts of the rich story of humankind, but has greatly enjoyed the relationships built with students over the course of a year-long class. He has found the career choice incredibly rewarding and hopes to eventually return to graduate school and earn his Ph.D. in history.  He remembers his years at St. John’s with fondness and credits his membership in the Honors Program with fueling the enthusiasm for study that he has always had.