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ALMA MATTERS


ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT


Head of the class


Teachers inspired


Harry Rossi to follow his dreams—and


to follow in their footsteps BY AMANDA FRIEDLANDER (’18)


U 36 LOYOLA UNIVERSITY CHICAGO


nraveling his maroon- and-gold Loyola Ramblers scarf, Harry Rossi (EdD ’85) makes himself comfortable


at one of the Schreiber Center lobby tables and whips out his newest- generation smartphone. The way he sauntered into the building—hair combed back, leather jacket unbut- toned, silver Aviators reflecting the bright overhead lights—Rossi imme- diately commands attention. But just a few minutes with him reveals this first impression to be deceiving. When asked to talk about his life’s


work, Rossi is quick to deflect the con- versation away from himself. After a few minutes briefly outlining his own


education and career, Rossi—who in March received the 2017 American Association of School Administrators Distinguished Service Award—spent the next 20 minutes describing the love he has for his students and for the teachers who shaped his own path. His own high school teachers, he says, were his inspiration for a career in education and school administra- tion. “Teachers saved my life,” he says. Rossi had humble beginnings. He


grew up in a rough neighborhood on Chicago’s West Side, where many of his peers didn’t do well in school or go on to college. Rossi excelled in academics and sports, but it was the encouragement of his teachers that determined his future. He remembers


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