Meet David Daraio, MLS class of ‘94, and current Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Maspeth Federal Savings
David is a Maspeth native and has lived here for 30 years. A successful and passionate MLS grad, he stays in touch with fellow alums on social media and gets together with others regularly. David went from Teller to Senior Vice President & COO starting just 3 weeks after graduating from MLS and while starting college. He visits MLS often and enthusiastically participates in MLS Career Day.
Q: What’s your favorite MLS memory, David?
David: “How the teachers cared about every student and the 1:1 help they gave when they saw a student start to veer off track. The teachers always cared about every student’s progress – always.”
Q: Did you have a favorite teacher?
David: “Definitely Mr. Schultz – creator of the Chess Tournament that he did annually. We had a lot of good times.” [David won several times; the last year he only played the winner instead of going through the whole tournament.]
Q: How about sports at MLS?
David: “I always had a good time with intramural sports” [His class was good at hockey and, in his last year, they started an intramural basketball team]. “Even though we weren’t great, we had a good run at
the faculty,” he quickly added.
Q: Why did you choose MLS, David?
David: “Because of MLS’s small size. The personal touch and bonds of friendship that faculty and students experience, because it’s small and everyone knows each other. This can’t be replicated in other schools. The students’ experience is full because they don’t get lost in the crowd.”
Q: Advice for current MLS students?
David: “High School is some of the most exciting years of your life – a springboard to college and building toward a career, so take every opportunity MLS offers – soak it in!” David said he had a good time at
Martin Luther School, but “I learned a lot. MLS gave me a good sense of what my next steps would be after MLS, ” he emphasized.
Q: Now how about some advice for MLS students applying to college?
David: “Finding what you want to do as a career isn’t easy, so stay flexible. The school gave me good advice and I followed it, because I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to take at first. Looking back, I
wish I stayed flexible in college in picking my major. Make sure the college you choose fits your choice of major.”
Q: Anything else you want to add for a family looking for a new school?
David: “I recommend MLS because the personal touch students and parents get from the staff is better than anywhere else. The small classes enable the faculty to develop each individual student’s skill set
better.”
Q: Any parting thoughts?
David: “I am proud to be an MLS Alum. Even though there have been a lot of great changes over the years – some of the most special and amazing things about MLS have stayed the same,” he fondly added.
