Anthony Marchitto, a Saint Leo University undergraduate student who is studying healthcare administration, shares his success story of pursuing many avenues on campus, including his close involvement in the music programs.
If you sat down with Anthony Marchitto for just a short conversation and heard about his schedule, you would walk away scratching your head, wondering how this Saint Leo University undergrad has time to even stop and take a breath.
The 20-year-old originally hails from Cape Coral, Fla. and is a 2016 alumnus of North Fort Myers High School.
Marchitto is not the first in his family to attend Saint Leo. His aunt, Suzanne Burley, graduated from the school. His older brother, Nicholas, is currently a senior marketing major.
He is pursuing a bachelor's in healthcare administration with a minor in music. He offers up some wise insight into why he chose to major in an integral sector of the healthcare field.
"I have found that I'm pretty good at communication, and there seems to be an issue with communication in healthcare between the providers and the patients. I would like to work in a role where I could help to improve patient satisfaction. One of my goals is to manage a hospital."
Marchitto enrolled at Saint Leo in the fall of 2016. He serves as a resident assistant in one of the university's on-campus residence halls. He is an active member of Kappa Sigma, the Student Activities Board, all student music ensembles, the Epsilon Delta Honor Society and the healthcare management club.
He says there are more benefits than he can count about what it's like to live on campus.
"It's a really close-knit community," he says. "I've gotten to meet some really incredible people. You get so immersed in the culture of Saint Leo when you live here. I really do feel like a well-rounded person."
In addition to these current perks, he sees future opportunities as well.
"Getting to know a lot of people has allowed me to build my network. So, if I ever pursue a master's degree or am looking for job opportunities, I know I have a lot of connections who'd be willing to write me a letter of recommendation or help me in another way."
He points to Dr. Cynthia Selph, an assistant professor of music who is closely involved in campus music programs, as someone who has been like a mentor to him.
"Dr. Selph has had a huge influence on me as a student, singer and musician," he says. "She has helped me learn and develop so much."
He also acknowledges Pamela Decius, an English instructor who oversees the student acapella group
"She always makes it a very stress-free and fun environment when we're rehearsing," he says.
According to Marchitto, Dr. Mary Spoto, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, has done great things for the arts as well
He believes that being in small classes and having one-on-one instruction from some of his professors is extremely valuable.
"This one-on-one time can make a huge difference in how someone develops," he says. "In my case with voice and piano lessons that I'm taking, I get to sit down with an experienced professional who created these classes originally. I feel like this type of instruction is unbeatable."
Marchitto says he was four years old when he first got into music.
"My parents educated us very well from a young age. Plus, my mother was the lead singer in a rock band and has always been a staunch supporter of the arts. We started singing in our church's choirs, and then I took up dance lessons in middle school."
As a male soprano when he was younger, he got involved in musical theater before narrowing his focus to singing upon entering high school.
"I took regular and advanced choir classes in high school, and doing some recitals helped me develop my style as a singer. Once I got to college, I hit the ground running. I feel like Saint Leo offers a breeding ground to perfect your skills as an artist because you get to be around some pretty talented and artistic people."
At Saint Leo, he has performed in a number of productions, including a Christmas concert in 2017 in which he was the only singer to perform a solo act. He sang "O Holy Night."
Marchitto describes his style as "musical theater style" and "classical." He loves singing tunes from Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others from that era.
His passion would be to direct a choir or other community music group either in a full-time role or on the side while working in healthcare administration.
In his words, music serves as such an incredibly powerful platform for him.
"Music has offered such a great way for me to express myself and feelings. I tend to talk a lot, but music is a different way to communicate. When you sing, you start to realize just how intricate the human voice actually is. Plus, listening to music allows you to refocus your thoughts and find peace."
Photo credit: The photograph included in this blog article was provided by Anthony Marchitto and is used with permission.
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