Profile: Alessandro DiVito
By Kevin Hayes | Observer Contributor
Alessandro DiVito, a 20-year-old student at MWCC majoring in English with a concentration in professional writing, shows promising talent as a writer. DiVito, who works as a youth mentor over the summer, is already well on his way, having three books currently in progress. Centered on sci-fi and time travel, their titles are: The Adventures of Jerry Rodger, Tyrone’s Multiversal Adventures and Mabel’s Uncharted Adventures.
But DiVito didn’t just wake up one day and say, ‘I think I’ll be a writer or mentor young people someday.’ His passion stemmed from his experiences with adversity. DiVito persevered through childhood bullying and a horrific stalking-like encounter with an older student when he was in the seventh grade, DiVito was in search of some way to deal with this trauma. Fortunately for DiVito, he has a close, supportive family. He also stumbled into a program called Thriveworks, which he found out about through the THRIVE Center at the Mount.
During DiVito’s first year at the college, he struggled while majoring in Engineering and was directed to the THRIVE Center to help get him back on track. THRIVE, an acronym for Together, Harnessing the Resources that Inspire a Valuable Education, not only supported him in pursuing his genuine passion for writing but also introduced him to Thriveworks, a program connecting him with a counselor to help him overcome his demons. DiVito continues his weekly appointments with his counselor to this day. He said, “My counselor helps me become a better me.”
DiVito started experiencing mental health issues at an early age. By the time he was 15, he had endured ADHD, anxiety, and depression. After the age of 15 he battled with PTSD and panic attacks. He was not looking to go on any medications to deal with it, so he sought counseling instead. Although DiVito is grateful to have the resources for counseling, he expressed it can be a long and difficult process.
DiVito started writing in junior high as a coping mechanism for his ADHD and CPTSD (Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). “I would use writing as an outlet,” said DiVito. “You know, I make a story where I’m the hero, and stuff goes wrong, but it works out in the end. And then my love for writing just blossomed from there. It started out as a coping mechanism, and then became my passion.” And it looks like his passion is working for him.
DiVito worked as a Summer Camp Counselor at the YMCA in Winchendon last year. He recalled the joy he got telling stories to the four and five-year-old kids as they were waiting to be picked up. He said, “The kids loved it.” Although the ability to make a good living from writing is important to him, DiVite considers the delight people experience reading his work an equal success.
Having grown up right down the street from MWCC, DiVito appreciates having easy access to both its resources and the ability to stay close to his family while completing his studies. He’s also not a big fan of having to travel far in traffic. But the proximity to college is only one of two conveniences he benefits from living in Gardner. DiVito loves his family and enjoys family gatherings. On his mother’s side they congregate almost every Sunday, since none of them need to travel more than 45 minutes. “I see my family a lot. I’m very family oriented,” explained DiVito. Although he doesn’t have as many family gatherings on his father’s side, maybe once a month, DiVito says when they do get together, they are fed well. “For six or seven people we start out with a big bowl of salad, two boxes of rigatoni, burgers, chicken, steak, and a special meat sauce. Of course there’s coffee, cookies and fruit afterwards,” he said. DiVito was gleeful while talking about regular family visits to both sides of his family.
DiVito is considering transferring to a four-year college like Fitchburg State or Plymouth State as one of two paths. The other, not surprisingly, is to “dive headfirst into self-publishing.”
Given his appreciation for the written word, keeping an eye out for The Adventures of Jerry Rodger in a book store near you might be a pretty good idea.
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