Tony currently resides in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up and has lived his entire life. He is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Chicago with Bachelor’s Degrees in both Education and Business Administration.
His interest in Stoicism began in earnest when he read a quote from Admiral James Stockdale, where Admiral Stockdale credited The Discourses of Epictetus with enabling him to endure as a P.O.W. during the Vietnam War. Already having read The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius and Seneca’s Epistulae Morales, Tony wanted to explore how these three works, along with the surviving lectures of Musonius Rufus, could be used as a cohesive unit to present the Stoic philosophy as a continuing tradition. Desiring to learn more, and searching for a method to apply the philosophy to daily life, led him to the College of Stoic Philosophers. He enrolled in the SES course at the start of 2019 and completed it in July, 2019. He then enrolled in the Marcus Aurelius program, completing it in December 2020. He credits both courses for broadening his knowledge and depth of understanding of Stoicism.
His immediate goals are to implement Stoic philosophy into every area of his life, as well as to teach his children about this philosophical way. In addition, he would like to assist others in learning about Stoicism.