Fra Noi Embrace Your Inner Italian
Now in his fourth year as an Italian teacher at Resurrection College Prep in Chicago, Francesco Campobasso credits a conversation with his cousins in Italy for steering him toward his true passion.
After earning a bachelor’s degree of commerce in finance from DePaul University in Chicago, Campobasso worked for various banks for 15 years despite having always wanted to be a teacher.
Then, during a visit to Italy in October 2019, he found himself having honest conversations with family about what he really wanted to do.
On his final night there, his cousins gifted him a bracelet inscribed with a quote in Italian by Vincent Van Gogh: “Che cosa sarebbe la vita se non avessimo il coraggio di correre dei rischi” (“What would life be if we didn’t have the courage to take risks”).
“That was my wake-up call,” Campobasso recalls. “I knew I had to stop being afraid and pursue my passions. When I came back, with the support of my mother and sisters, I applied for the graduate program at DePaul, and it was the best decision I’ve ever made.”
Born in the Chicago area to parents from Italy’s Puglia region, Campobasso spent 5th and 6th grade living in Italy, then moved back and graduated from Ridgewood High School in Norridge.
Growing up, his parents spoke to him in Italian and the Barese dialect and took him to Italy over the summer. He learned English by watching “Sesame Street” and other children’s programming, he says.
“I’m fortunate to have the best of both worlds. My family on my father’s side lives here in the suburbs, while my mother’s side lives in cities close to Bari. I also have a few cousins who live in northern Italy,” he says. “So, I have an excuse to visit often!”
After his wakeup call, Campobasso earned a master’s degree in world language education from DePaul University. He is also certified to teach Italian, Spanish and English as a Second Language.
Campobasso is the only Italian instructor at Resurrection College Prep, where he teaches all levels, from freshmen through seniors. He is the moderator for the school’s Italian Club and the National Italian Honors Society chapter and is involved in the American Association of Teachers of Italian.
Campobasso has been instrumental in growing the high school’s Italian program. For example, he and two colleagues took 23 students on a 10-day trip to Italy in March 2025.
“I get to share my passion for my Italian culture and heritage, I get to see my students learn the language and culture, participate in cooking demonstrations, while they have fun,” he says, adding he’s excited to see his first students graduate this year. “I truly find teaching to be a rewarding career.”
Being passionate about the job is essential to connect with students, Campobasso says.
“If you aren’t passionate, it is not going to show and students will pick up on that. I always do my best to make my lessons relatable, fun and engaging,” he explains. “I like to celebrate a student’s birthday by having the class sing ‘happy birthday’ in Italian and giving them chocolate or a piece of candy, and they are always excited to share what’s going on in their lives with me.”
It’s essential to find the right balance and not give students so much information that they feel overwhelmed and shut down, he adds.
“It is interesting to see their growth when they walk in as freshmen and they are shy and afraid to speak the language or to make mistakes, but then as the months go on, all of a sudden they feel more at ease and excited to learn about the culture and language.”
During his first two years at the high school, Campobasso also taught Spanish. “My high school Spanish teacher, Mrs. Lombardo, is the person who first inspired me to consider teaching as a profession. However, of course I am most passionate about teaching Italian.”
In fact, Campobasso says he looks forward to working on growing Italian language programming across the Chicago area, along with his Italian teacher peers.
Outside of work, he enjoys going to the gym, hanging out with friends and traveling, his favorite place being Italy, where he will travel this summer for his cousin’s wedding.
“Of course, I’m always excited to see what God has in store for me in the future.”
