Joe DiGarazio-All American

Joe Digarzio Vermilion’s All American Linebacker– His time at VCC.

I initially came to Vermilion because out of high school I was an academic non-qualifier. As a result of my academics I needed to go to a community college to get my academics in order. My opportunity came when the Vermilion coaches recruited me. I ended up coming to V.C.C. because I thought that this was a great opportunity for me to get a good education, play good football, and be in a program that had a winning tradition.

As a result of my time at Vermilion I have achieved many of my goals and earned some things that I had never even thought I could. The first and most important achievement is the A/A degree which I will receive in may. On the football field I was fortunate and received many honors with the highest recognition coming when I was named to the NJCAA All-American team. In addition to my All-American honors I was also named the Region 13 Defensive Player of the Year. The high point for me in my playing career had to have been winning the 2006 NJCAA National Championship.

Academically, Vermilion had many things that helped make me successful. I believe that one of the great thing about V.C.C. is the classes sizes. Here at Vermilion the classes are not large and overrun with students and that gives you a chance to have interaction with all your instructors. Also it is much easier to receive the help you need to be successful in your classes. Additionally, I believe that the setting of the college helps you succeed. In Ely, there is not all the distractions that can pull you away from your work and allows you to stay focused and succeed.

Now that I have concluded my career here at Vermilion I have been fortunate that I had many opportunities to move on. This fall I had interest by many great programs like Temple, Northern Iowa, North Dakota State, North Carolina Central just to name a few. This spring I had over ten offers of scholarships to choose from but I am very much looking to return to Pennsylvania and be close to family and friends.