Email: ronald.derosa@patch.com
Phone: 203-605-3213 Hometown: Middletown, Connecticut Birthday: May 12, 1986 Bio: I was born the seventh of eight children in Bridgeport, Conn., where I lived for several years until my family moved to Litchfield County. Bridgeport, and several towns surrounding it, were always very familiar to me, however, since I was often out working with my dad on his paint jobs. In Litchfield County I lived in the town of Washington, Conn., and later in Morris during my collegiate years. My parents still live there. Nothing is more refreshing for me to drive up through my old home area and go for a hike, stop by a coffee shop or just drive around the scenic areas of Route 44 and Route 7 (just to name a few). In 2004 I graduated Shepaug Valley High School, a regional high school for Washington, Roxbury and Bridgewater. I then went on to get a bachelor's degree from a small liberal arts college located just outside of Burlington, Vt., called Saint Michael's College. There, I also double-minored in journalism and Italian studies, and I wrote for the college's newspaper and magazine. In the fall of 2006 I also studied abroad in Perugia, Italy, where I was able to master my Italian to a near-fluent level. I still speak it well, although I have to keep practicing to maintain it. On that note, I am also a dual citizen with Italy. I gained my citizenship in July of this year, going through my paternal grandfather's lineage. It was quite a process, obtaining documents and e-mailing various town halls in Italy (although I got to write in Italian, which was nice). In August 2008 I was hired as a staff reporter at The Register Citizen newspaper in Torrington. I was first assigned the beat as the Torrington reporter, and later I covered the courts and cops beat. This was where I credit much of my experience in journalism, not only because it was my first professional job but because it taught me all there was to know about what was important in news. I also freelanced for The Catholic Transcript during this time. I have lived in Naugatuck for the past two years, since graduating college. Politics I am a registered Democrat and I vote in every election. Religion I am a church-going Catholic.