Eventually, the family chose to leave the North End in favor of East Boston, which Corrado felt was more similar to their hometown in Italy.
It was at this time that Arcangelo began attending school and learning English, although his family continued to speak Italian at home.
[2] In his early teens, Arcangelo was taken out of school and sent to work in the shipping room at a shoe factory in order to help the family financially.
As an apprentice to Kirchmayer, Arcangelo met many sculptors and carvers from all over the world who had settled in the Boston area, including such notables as Joseph Gabler and Natale Giacone.
[2] Because all of the faculty lectured on a volunteer basis, Arcangelo supported himself as a sculptor, opening a studio with his brother-in-law, Adio diBiccari, in 1952.