Each and every one of us is on the go on a daily basis, moving back and forth between various responsibilities and jobs. But for a North Branford High School alum, she had the unique opportunity to balance tackling the medical field and helping wideouts evade tackles simultaneously.

Charliana Criscuolo, a Thunderbirds’ Class of 2021 member, made her mark on the North Branford athletics family by being a basketball player, but she also made an impact away from competition as a team manager for both the boys’ lacrosse and football squads.

After working on a project her senior year, the Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU) football coaching staff reached out to her and offered her a job as their Operations Manager. From her experience with the team, she was quickly offered the life-changing chance to become the Owls’ assistant wide receivers coach full-time. She took on all of this while additionally earning her Nursing degree from SCSU in only three years.

“I started the Operations Manager job right after graduating high school, and I used to sit in the meeting rooms with coaches,” says Charliana. “The first thing was camp, and we were going through 13-14 hour days. At first, I would go home after a few hours then come back. But after seeing what the team was going through with the long days, I felt I had to be there too. I did not expect the long hours at first, but I fell in love with it. It was so rewarding to see the receivers carry out their goals that I would have them write down before the season. Seeing the guys excel is truly great.”

With so much on her plate, Charliana additionally accelerated through her program, but not without taking the route of heavy course loads for several semesters. She says being thrown into the fray with that kind of schedule is a trial by fire experience, though she used her fire to make it happen.

“There were semesters where I would be taking 19 credits, so that was certainly one of the challenges in balancing it all,” Charliana says. “We would have 6 a.m. practices, so I was up at 4 to get ready for them. I would then be in the office doing homework and taking online courses. At 2 p.m., it was straight to meetings and walk-throughs. Making it work would be kind of something you either figure out or you don’t. Football is time-consuming, as is the healthcare field, but I learned to multi-task.”

A stacked slate is something that actually harkens back to Charliana’s high school lifestyle. From that foundation at North Branford, she also learned essential life skills in working in an interpersonal atmosphere, in addition to how to be a listening confidant.

“When I was at North Branford, I played basketball and had a full-time job, so I learned time management there, as well,” says Charliana. “I also learned how to deal with different personalities, both at North Branford as a manager and at SCSU. Football should not feel like a job to these kids, and for many of them, it is their first time away from home. With that, I make sure I am always there for them if they need someone.”

Collaborating with so many coaches over the years at various levels and varying backgrounds only bolstered Charliana’s confidence and knowledge. Yet no matter their walk of life, they gave her their trust and resolve to keep trudging onward.

“I have been impacted by every coach I have worked with,” says Charliana. “[SCSU Offensive Coordinator] Jon Weiss taught me the ropes of how things should be done, but they all had the belief in me to do it. I was very lucky to have great coaches who pushed me to be the best, and I have taken a lot of strength from them.”

North Branford football Head Coach Anthony Salvati is consistently marveled by how Charliana has a motor and motivation that never seems to show any signs of slowing down. Yet looking at her coaching abilities, she is very meticulous with the wideout position and connects with the Thunderbirds very well.

“To see what Charliana has accomplished has been amazing,” says Salvati. “She also helped me out on my staff when I was at Guilford, too, while balancing everything else she had going on. She never has enough on her plate. It amazes me what she can and has accomplished. When she graduated, and the opportunity came to add her to my staff, I jumped at it. She is a stickler for the finer details of the receiver position and picks up on the nuances. The kids respond to her quite well, too. I still don’t know how she does it all; she has more on her plate than I do.”

It was not by design as a freshman that she would walk across the graduation stage a year ahead of schedule compared to most of her contemporaries. Charliana explains it was just steady build day by day through the desire to never waste a single moment–a principle she will continue to live by toward accomplishing her career objectives.

“Earning a degree in three years is not something I thought I would do going in, but it just came from being in the coaches’ office and trying to get as much done as possible,” says Charliana, who currently works at Yale Hospital in New Haven. “I just kept myself busy and took advantage of every opportunity. My goal is to become an APRN [Advanced Practice Registered Nurse]. I also want to keep coaching wherever that fits into my schedule.”