ToniAnne Campuzano, Physical Education, Lower and Upper Division
ToniAnne attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn where she received a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education. While at St. Francis she played softball and golf for the Terriers. After her freshman year, St. Francis discontinued their softball program and ToniAnne transferred to play softball at Queens College for one year. She then returned to SFC her junior year. Upon graduation, ToniAnne attended Adelphi University where she earned her Master’s in Adapted Physical Education. Growing up she always admired her coaches and their ability to work with all athletes, no matter the skill level, and build them into high performing players. This is what led her to wanting to become a physical education teacher.
Growing up, sports was an integral part of ToniAnne’s family life. Following in her older brother and sister’s footsteps ToniAnne quickly loved being part of a team. She enjoys the competitive nature of sports and truly believes anything learned on the playing field, such as dedication, camaraderie, loyalty, teamwork, the exhilaration of the win and the disappointment of the loss can translate into everyone’s daily life. The most important lesson ToniAnne learned early on was the importance of showing up and being part of something much larger than just yourself. Being a part of team offers many challenges which ultimate aids in your growth both on the field and off. You are forced to analyze different situations and skills and strategize accordingly.
When starting off in her school career, ToniAnne was extremely shy and quiet, causing her to take a back seat to many of her classmates. She was not quick to raise her hand or offer an answer, even with the encouragement of her teachers. But once she entered the gym, that was her outlet. She didn’t need to use her voice to shine but instead her physical ability spoke for itself. ToniAnne believes that it is her responsibility to provide the same outlet for those students who may face certain challenges in the classroom. She believes the gym is an extremely important space for her students that allows for many different dimensions of each student to shine and take center stage.
