Once Students, Now DSA Staff

A Journey That Brings Them Back

About 10% of the staff at DSA’s Doral campus are alumni. They once walked these halls as students. Today, they return as teachers, coaches, administrators, and staff members, helping shape the experience for the students who come after them.

Every student’s journey changes after graduation. College, careers, new experiences, and new opportunities take them in different directions. But for some DSA graduates, that journey eventually leads them back to where it began.

They return with new skills, experiences, and a desire to give to the next generation what they once received.

Bringing New Skills Back Home

Many alumni leave DSA and gain experiences that help them discover new strengths and interests. When they return, they bring those skills with them.

Cammila Audino Centeno, Class of 2025, was deeply involved in clubs and student leadership during her time at DSA. Now, as an administrative assistant, she gets to see what happens behind the scenes and help current students bring their ideas to life.

She describes the experience as a passing of the torch.

“I put a lot of time and energy into being a student here. I was in a lot of clubs, and was a founder and executive leader of several, so getting to be behind the scenes of how that's put into motion has been very special to me, because now students get to come to me for help.”

Her education and career experiences have allowed her to build skills across English, IT, communications, editing, and publishing. Now, her role at DSA gives her the opportunity to bring those skills together in one place.

Giving Students What They Once Received

For Arianna Iacono, Class of 2018, returning to DSA meant stepping into a role she once saw from the other side of the classroom.

After moving far from her home country, Arianna found a sense of family and belonging at DSA. Her experience shaped more than her education. It also influenced her values, faith, and the person she became.

“I returned as a teacher because I wanted to give back what was once given to me, to be that same source of guidance, belonging, and faith for another student.”

Arianna wants to be a source of inspiration and trust beyond just academics for students at Divine Savior.

Finding Purpose in a Familiar Place

Enza Russoniello, Class of 2015, came back to DSA as a PreK3 teacher and brought together her love of teaching and a place that had already played an important role in her life.

After experiencing DSA as a student, she returned to the campus with a new perspective and a deeper appreciation for the people who helped shape her.

Today, she gets to help young students begin their own journeys.

“In a college chemistry class, my professor shared with us the phrase, ‘If you do what you love, you'll never work a day in your life.’ For me, I not only get to do what I love, but I also get to do it in one of my favorite places”

She describes DSA as her “second home” and sees her work as another way God is using the place that once helped shape her.

From Being Guided to Guiding Others

The journey from student to staff member is different for every alumnus.

Some return because they discovered a love for teaching. Others bring skills from college or their careers. Some find themselves drawn back because of the relationships and sense of belonging they experienced as students.

But they all have the opportunity to do something meaningful:

Take what they received and use it to help someone else.

For these alumni, coming back is more than returning to a familiar campus.

It is a chance to lead with a servant's heart, share what they have learned, and help current students discover who they are becoming.

And for the students walking those halls today, having former DSA students among the people guiding them offers a powerful reminder:

The journey that begins here can lead somewhere meaningful, and sometimes, it can even bring you home.

“My prayer is that the time my students and their families spend in this amazing place, whether it's just one year or their entire academic life, they can feel that this is a place they can call home, just like it is for me.” -Enza Russoniello