Marine vet finds pride in helping children


Mary Lou Fulton alum Cliff Vellucci

After 25 years of service in the U.S. Marines, Cliff Vellucci retired in 2007 and began his transition to civilian life.

"Going from 1,000 mph to a very slow pace, it just really wasn't enough. I needed something more," he said.

He had always had a knack for teaching, so he returned to college and completed his degree through Arizona State University's Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College. Today, he serves as an assistant principal in a Phoenix elementary school. 

"When I was a Marine, people would come up to me and ask me what I did for a living. And I would feel really proud of saying, 'I'm a Marine,'" he said. "Well, now when people come up to me and ask me that same question, I feel that same sense of pride about saying I'm a teacher."

Watch his story here.

More Arts, humanities and education

 

ASU outdoor sign grazed with branches  of yellow palo verde tree flower blooms

ASU researchers awarded $1M grant to cultivate civic virtues in Arizona public universities

Principled Innovation is the backbone behind a recent $1 million dollar grant award to a team of Arizona State University researchers for their project, Cultivating Civic Virtues Through Action.…

music theatre and opera season

ASU Music Theatre and Opera season spotlights composers, students and masterworks

The 2024–25 ASU Music Theatre and Opera season features projects that illuminate contemporary composers and writers, student-led work, and iconic masterworks that push the boundaries of opera…

A woman and a man pose for a photo while waving at the camera

Arizona couple donate $10M to Arizona PBS, the largest gift in the station's history

Sue Hart-Wadley and Searle Wadley have always loved PBS for its educational, entertaining and inspirational programming. After years of learning from its variety of offerings, the Arizona couple are…