SHARE

Spotlight On: Armonk's Anthony Gizzi Graduates From Full Sail

ARMONK, N.Y. -- A full-time course load led to Armonk resident Anthony Gizzi earning a bachelor's degree in two instead of four years.

Anthony Gizzi of Armonk, a graduate of Byram Hills High School, earned his bachelor's degree from Full Sail University in two years instead of four.

Anthony Gizzi of Armonk, a graduate of Byram Hills High School, earned his bachelor's degree from Full Sail University in two years instead of four.

Photo Credit: Contributed

How did he do it?

By attending Full Sail University in Florida, where students can attend classes up to 40 hours a week that run on a monthlong, rather than a semesterlong schedule.

The Byram Hills High School graduate earned his degree in film and television production, taking classes year-round at the university's Winter Garden campus, rather than online, an option for students.

This fall he'll go on to Sacred Heart University in Bridgeport, Conn., for a master's of fine arts degree in film and television production.

But for now, Gizzi works two jobs -- at Breezemont Day Camp in Armonk and Paladin Center in Carmel.

At the center, which specializes in public safety and tactical defense training, he's "a professional bad guy," he said.

"I'm a human target. When we have police or military training there, the other workers and myself will put on real life scenarios so the trainees can get a more authentic experience, and get "real life training." 

While he hasn't worked in the television industry yet, Gizzi said once he gets his graduate degree, he will seek an internship or apprenticeship in the industry working with a producer.

He received two scholarships to attend Full Sail. "I actually wasn't going to apply," he recounted.

"Not because I didn't think I would get in, but because it didn't seem like the kind of place I would want to go to college. My mom convinced me to go look at the school because we were going to be in Florida looking at other schools anyway, and after we left I realized that even though it may not be a place I would want to go, it was the smartest choice. So I applied and got accepted."

Gizzi took four to eight hours of classes a day, sometimes seven days a week, he said, achieving his 120 credits in two years, essentially taking two classes a month, year-round.

"In a normal program, you get around 120 credit hours in a semester per class. At my school, I got 120 credit hours in one month."

to follow Daily Voice Armonk and receive free news updates.

SCROLL TO NEXT ARTICLE