Leigh Alum Mike Gillotti Speaks to LHS Students
“Things in life are about attitude, not aptitude. Continue to bet on yourself. Things in life might not always take the path you think they will, but it will work out if you work hard, stay driven, and have faith in yourself.”
When asked what his best advice to students was for the future, this was Mike Gillotti’s response when he came to speak to Leigh High School in November.
Gillotti became the ninth graduate to speak to the sophomore careers class as part of the “Successful Leigh-ders program this semester, joining Kamin (Hillen) Held, Austin Bruhn, Ryan Kumpf, Mike and Ty McMullin, Lauren (Settje) Stoklasa, Lindsay McCutcheon, Cody Hillen, and Boone McAfee. Juniors and seniors interested in going into the education field were also in attendance.
As part of the “Successful Leigh-ders project, 16 Leigh graduates are scheduled to speak to high school students this semester, one for each of the 16 career clusters designated by the state of Nebraska.
Gillotti spoke on his experiences in the Education and Training career cluster. After graduating from Leigh in 1999, he attended Northeast Community College for two years, then transferred to UNL and graduated with a degree in education. He taught history at Lincoln North Star High School while earning a Master’s Degree in History Education from Wesleyan University. He then earned another Master’s degree in Administration from UNL while he was working as an assistant principal at Lincoln North Star. This year is his first year in a new position as principal at Lincoln Southwest High School.
In addition to motivating kids to work hard, stay driven, and find a career they love, Gillotti emphasized how education is all about relationships. He also spoke on how there are lots of jobs in the education realm besides just teachers.
“We really appreciated Mr. Gillotti coming to speak to our class,” careers teacher Mrs. Megan Hillen said. “He was extremely motivating and well-spoken, and his message about drive and attitude was relevant to all students, not just those considering education. On a professional note, several of our staff members were in attendance, and I think it was refreshing to have a nice reminder of why we all went into the education field.”