Sofia Mark '25
Fontbonne’s faculty has had a few new additions this year. In fact, we have three new math teachers - almost an entirely new math department. Ms. Bruzzese is one of them, teaching many of the sophomores and seniors. I interviewed her to help us all learn a little more about her.
Ms. Bruzzese lived in Staten Island her whole life until moving to New Jersey almost a year ago in December 2021. Growing up, she played competitive ice hockey from the fourth grade all the way up until 2020.
When she was sixteen, she had surgery on her shoulder from an ice hockey injury, which was when she started to learn more about physical therapy. For a while, she wanted to be a physical therapist but found her enjoyment for teaching again when she was a coach for an ice hockey team.
Math was always Ms. B’s favorite and best subject, especially between the ages of 10 and 15. After high school, Ms.Bruzzese attended Drexel University in Philadelphia majoring in Health Sciences, graduating with her Bachelor's. The real reason Ms. B chose Drexel was because she accidentally didn’t check off the early action box for Northeastern, which was her first choice. Ms.Bruzzese also received a scholarship to Drexel and knew people from her high school attending. Ms.B informed my geometry class telling us she had no intentions on going to Drexel but ended up loving it there. She’s now working toward her Master's in School Building Leadership.
As I said before, Ms. Bruzzese does live in New Jersey, so she has to travel quite a lot to get to Fontbonne. She wakes up at 5 a.m. and leaves Jersey at 6 a.m. to drop her daughter off at preschool in Staten Island. From there it takes her from thirty minutes to an hour and a half to get to Bay Ridge.
Before coming to Fontbonne this year, Ms. B taught at Garden School in Jackson Heights where she taught math as well as science. If you thought her hour-thirty drive was long, her commute home from Jackson Heights was three hours!
Ms. B has one daughter, Alivia, who’s 16 months old. Her mom got her a Boston Terrier for her birthday one year, but then the dog got attached and now the dog lives with her mother.
Ms. Bruzzese loves Fontbonne so far and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds.
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