Mr. Richard La Rocca, O.P., a native New Yorker, is a 40-year veteran educator having served in both public and Catholic schools as a teacher and administrator.  He began his post-secondary education at Cornell University where he pursued a double major in History and Spanish and his love of learning would eventually lead him to take up theological studies in Rome, Italy, and Pamplona, Spain.  Along the way, he also acquired an M.A. in Spanish at the Catholic University of America where he would meet the love of his life, María Fátima, and settle down to raise his five children. Coming to Ave Maria has been a tremendous blessing and Mr. La Rocca sees his position at Donahue Academy as a way of giving back to the community by offering his talents in service to the children of his parish.