Igniting Our Mission
The Campaign for Fordham Prep
Jesuit education is a tie that binds . It can bring together people from six different continents who may have very little in common outside of their shared educational experience . It is a gift that keeps paying dividends throughout one ’ s life and an experience many hope to pass along to their children . This can be said for Joe and AnitaRose Dziwura P ’ 13 , ‘ 16 , ’ 19 – two people who grew up in different parts of the United States and were brought together on the Rose Hill Campus . They are now passing along the gift of Jesuit education to their sons and through their contributions to the Fordham Prep Annual Fund to other young men who may not be able to afford a Jesuit education .
Joe Dziwura grew up in Michigan and attended Campion Jesuit High School , a Jesuit boarding school for boys in Prairie du Chien , Wisconsin . When Campion closed in 1975 , Joe traveled further west and finished his high school education at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose , California . The experience at both schools , especially his interactions with the Jesuits , left an indelible impact on Joe .
“ Many of the lay teachers , Jesuit priests and brothers , and the Jesuit scholastics I had as teachers or interacted with at both Campion and Bellarmine made a huge impact on me and my formation ,” says Dziwura . I ’ ve stayed in contact with many of my high school teachers and the
Jesuits throughout the years . I ’ ve become great friends with the teachers and Jesuits I stayed in touch with . They were and still are a tremendous influence on me and my high school friends .”
A Queens native , AnitaRose attended Fordham University after high school . Joe met Anita during graduate school in the Economics department at Fordham . After getting married , the Dziwuras lived initially in Brooklyn and then settled in Larchmont where they have raised their three sons .
When the Dziwuras ’ eldest son , Joey ’ 13 , was in the 8th grade , the family started looking at high schools . Joey had been in public schools his entire educational life at that point , but the family wanted a change . The desire to look for something different led Joe and AnitaRose to their Jesuit roots and Fordham Prep .
“ Joey went to visit Fordham Prep and decided that was where he wanted to be . He really enjoyed it . In fact , all of my sons have really enjoyed their Fordham Prep experience ,” says AnitaRose .
“ We gave all three boys the opportunity to choose where they went to high school , but from the time they were young , we emphasized that Jesuit education was important to our family . That nudged them a little bit ,” adds Joe .
22 | RAMVIEW