Last Updated:10:36 PM EST 9/19/07 Section: Lifestyles

Doug Della Pietra is the new Religious Studies professor at St. John Fisher College. He has come to Fisher with an open mind and a passion to teach. Della Pietra learned about an opening in the department through his close friend, William Graf.

However, he is already well accustomed to the Fisher lifestyle, as he was also a student at Fisher and graduated in 1991 with a Bachelor's in Science and Business Management. Besides being a teacher, Della Pietra has a life filled with friends, family and many interests to keep him busy outside of his teaching.

Della Pietra is no newcomer when it comes to the Rochester area. He was born and raised here with his parents and his three younger brothers. Growing up, Della Pietra admits he did not always want to be a teacher. His father owned a number of convenience stores, and he believed he would run his own small business.

"I never thought I had that much to offer people and I never thought I could teach," Della Pietra said. "But then I started getting feedback telling me I was good at informing and connecting with people."

Della Pietra said that he knew he wanted to help people and teaching became a natural fit for him.

As far as hobbies go, there are many that he enjoys. Della Pietra loves to play soccer and has played most of his life, as well as running track and field. Also, he enjoys activities such as writing, reading, photography and he even composes his own Christian music. Being a composer, Della Pietra has CDs of his own music. He likes to keep busy and enjoys variety in his life.

But just like anyone else, Della Pietra likes to have days where he can just "veg out" and relax. He loves watching comedies and one of his favorites is Analyze This. He also has a passion for documentaries which helps satisfy his constant need to learn new things. Among being a teacher and a composer, Della Pietra is also a traveler. One of his favorite pastimes is visiting all the National Parks, the Grand Canyon being his favorite. Della Pietra loves being outdoors and says that nature is "so healing and rejuvenating."

Among all his interests and passions in life, his most important is his faith in God. Faith is extremely important to Della Pietra, and he loves being able to share and enlighten others about it. For a decade before joining Fisher, he worked as a pastor at The Church of the Good Shepherd in Henrietta, N.Y.

"When you fall in love with someone and you want to tell everyone about it," Della Pietra. "That is how I feel about God and faith."

In ten years Della Pietra still sees himself teaching and maybe even writing a book about faith and how faith can be practical in people's lives. He hopes to stay at Fisher as long as the school will have him. Della Pietra said his experience so far at Fisher has been wonderful, and he is very happy and engaged in the environment.

"I am very supportive of Fisher and greatly value the education and process of learning here," Della Pietra said. He loves the welcoming environment of Fisher and is excited to start the new school year.

The classes he is teaching at Fisher are Medical Ethics, Morality and Business and Introduction to Christianity. He also co-teaches World Religion.

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