Getting to Know Maddy Frascogna ’25

That’s how old Maddy Frascogna was when she decided she wanted to attend St. Joseph’s University, New York.

“All my favorite teachers and role models were St. Joseph’s graduates,” said Ms. Frascogna, a junior majoring in mathematics and computer science with a concentration in adolescence education at the Long Island Campus.

Now, the soon-to-be three-time SGA president will forever be ingrained in the history of the University.

“The Student Center ribbon cutting ceremony might be one of my favorite moments from my time here so far,” said Ms. Frascogna, who delivered a speech at the event.

It was about the same time as deciding she would attend SJNY that Ms. Frascogna decided she wanted to become an educator.

“When I was little, I had a whole classroom set up at home,” she said. “I had a whiteboard, projector, dolls posed as my students. You name it, I had it.”

Growing up seeing her dad as a math-turned-phys ed teacher in Patchogue-Medford schools, where she also attended, played a big role in her choice to be a teacher.

“He has such a big heart,” she said of her father, who has coached varsity baseball for decades at Patchogue-Medford High School — with many of his players going on to St. Joe’s. “He always went the extra mile for his students. Being able to see how much he made an impact in so many different people’s lives further drove my passion to become a teacher.”

After she graduates from St. Joseph’s, Ms. Frascogna hopes to follow in her dad’s footsteps and teach math.

“I’ll be certified in middle school and high school, in both computer science and math,” she said. “I’d be happy to teach anywhere. But if I got to pick, I’d like to end up in a middle school.”

She shared that the biggest hurdle she’s had to overcome in academia so far has been gaining her own identity.

“I went to school where my dad was a teacher,” she said. “That became my identity. Everyone who met me in high school, and even my friends, would always associate me with my dad. I had to work twice as hard as my classmates to be able to create my own identity as a student.”

At St. Joseph’s, she quickly overcame that hurdle.

“Coming here, it was a new sense of freedom,” said Ms. Frascogna, a 2021 Pat-Med graduate. “I’ve been stronger because of my experience, and I think how I grew from it has positively impacted the things I’m able to do today.”

In addition to being SGA president, Ms. Frascogna is also the founder and a member of SJNY’s Circle K International chapter, she’s an Orientation Team Leader, and she serves on various committees.