All photos courtsey of Alexandra Pedatella
This Campus Celebrity is bringing it to the very pride and spirit of our school, Manhattanville Athletics. The Manhattanville Women’s Hockey Team has many hardworking players and player #6 is no exception. The 5’6, long hair brunette is Alexandra Pedatella who hails from Hopewell Junction, New York. Her hard work, dedication and her overall kind spirit is what makes her deserving of being a Campus Celebrity. I’m sure many of her teammates, friends and family could agree she’s worthy of this title.
“When I was little I started figure skating before playing hockey at age 13.” she said as she sat on her yellow and grey embellished themed bed set, excited to share the tale of why she chose Manhattanville. It just so happened she was wearing a Manhattanville Hockey shirt as we started up the interview which is fitting for her story. “My dad and I would go to Playland to watch the Manhattanville Women’s Hockey team.” Playland is the home rink to the Manhattanville Hockey team. “Ever since I watched their game I knew I wanted to come to Manhattanville to play hockey.” This dream turned into reality and now Alexandra is a Junior at Manhattanville College double majoring in Education and History while also playing for the women’s hockey team. She is also a Duchesne scholar and volunteers her time to give back to others.
With her degree she hopes to become a Kindergarten teacher. Alexandra laughed, her smiling lighting up the triple we share with our other roommate, Brianna Pruchnicki, as she tried to explain her calling. “Growing up in a big Italian household with my little cousins always running around, I felt like I needed to be a role model for my cousins.” she said as she thought about what called her to the job of being a teacher. “I believe that is what got me involved with teaching and made me want to inspire and influence my students I will have in the future.” The brunette also shared a fun memory associated with her career as a teacher. Her eyes seemed to light up with the memory. “When I was little, I always wanted to play teacher and my cousins were always my students. I guess that also set me up for my career choice.”
This pattern of the dream seems to always be a theme in her life. She knew what college she wanted to attend at a young age, ended up playing hockey with the Manhatanville Women’s Hockey team she saw when she was little, to now studying to be a teacher and to inspire her students to dream big. So what’s next? “I see myself as a teacher in the future and of course having a family of my own.” Pedatella is currently dating a chef in the making named Robert, who also goes by Sonny, who was an undergrad at Manhattanville.
After knowing Alexandra personally since Freshman year, it is amazing to see her growth and how much time and dedication she gives to her fellow teammates and school work. She has a caring heart that makes her suited to be a wonderful Kindergarten teacher. The next time you see #6 grace the ice, remember that she dreamt of that moment and is going to make the best of it at her final years at Manhattanville.