Hi! My name is Alberto Chiocchetti, a third-year undergraduate with a major in Business Management with emphasis in Entrepreneurship. I’m here because I’m eager to learn more about what it meant, for millions of my compatriots before me, to leave their motherland with little or nothing and start over on the other side of the world, in a place where they were certainly not welcome. 

Hi, my name is Alexander Lutz. I am a fourth year student studying computer science. I also have have family that came to America from Sicily. To me, my grandparents from my mother's side embody Italian-American. They are both Italian born immigrants with strong Italian accents and a love of things Italian.

My name is Alison Doyle I am an Anthropology major at SDSU.  I was raised by an Italian mother and an Irish father; growing up I was always around my mother’s family. My Grandparents were not from the same province in Italy; my nonna was from Abruzzi and my nonno parents were Sicilian.  They were both born on the East Coast but were the first generation to be born in the states and only knew the Italian language. Growing up I was always fascinated how my great grandparents assimilated so easily into a country that was foreign to them; both sides of my mother’s grandparents came to America through Ellis Island. My Mother is from a very big family she is one out of 12 siblings. I remember every Sunday was a family get together with my grandparents. We would cook enough Italian food to feed an army this ranged from baked ziti and / or sausage rigatoni, lasagna and enough sauce for everyone to take home and freeze. I remember being taught by my uncle how to make zepolle and bruschetta; growing up with my Italian side always felt like home. Although I felt very close with my Italian culture because of my family, there are a few things I wish I knew more about. I was raised speaking it here and there from my grandparents and great uncle but it was never pushed on us to continuously speak; as I got older my ability to converse diminished. So, to answer the question what does Italian American mean to me it is everything I have listed in the sentences above. It’s the connection to my roots that my grandparents raised us with.

My name is Brandon Bisby, I'm 22 currently trying to finish my degree in European Studies. I'm in this class because I thought it would be interesting to see a different side to "Italy" as the Italians have had a presence in the United States for quite some time now. What makes me think of Italian Americans would be the mafia, pizza, and the east coast as that is where the largest concentration of Italians seem to be and is where pizza and the mafia are well known as well.

Hi, I'm Briana Santangelo and I am currently a junior studying general business. I chose to take this class mostly because my father is Italian and I wanted to learn more about how Italian-Americans were treated in this country since I never learned about that side--only about the derogatory names they were called. Being Italian-American means you have some Italian blood in you (physically) and are either born in America, live in America, or have some connection to the American culture that ties you into being called Italian-American. Some things that I associate with Italian-American is of course, the classic movies, The Godfather.

I'm Daniela Anastasi. I am in this class because Italian is a part of my major. I am an interdisciplinary studies major, focusing on political science, public administration, and Italian. As an Italian-American myself, I hope to learn about the history and culture of Italians in America. My great-great grandparents immigrated to the United States through Ellis Island. My maternal great-grandpa, Donato, who I was named after, carried on his family's traditions to my maternal grandpa, who has taught me the traditions and culture of an Italian American. My paternal grandpa's family is also Italian, and he taught my dad similar traditions that I am being exposed to all the time. My maternal grandparents owned many restaurants as well as a sausage manufacturing plant in Northern California before I was born. As a result, food is a large part of my family's Italian-American culture. We make homemade pasta for all of the birthdays and have traditional Italian meals at all the holidays. These meals and recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, and I have every intention of continuing the tradition. Winter break and specifically Christmas is a busy time in the Anastasi household because on top of making homemade pasta, both cavatelli and ravioli, we also make meatballs, sausage, bracciole, and tomato sauce. It is a full-family affair and usually takes a full day. Growing up with this tradition has shaped my views on holidays. Whereas many people grow up focusing on the holiday itself, or the presents affiliated with it, I have grown up focusing on the food and the meal that is prepared and served. This is also a tradition I plan on passing down to my kids in the future. 

Ciao a tutti! My name is Dominic Mario Gialdini, I am 21 years old, and I am an Italian-American dual citizen. My paternal nonna, Maria Pierini, and her family came to San Francisco in December of 1946 (if I remember properly) after the end of WWII. Her mother had come before them to prepare for the big move, but a month before the family left, the war broke out, so they were separated for six or seven years. They were from Marlia in the Comune of Capponori, Lucca, in the heart of Tuscany. On my dad's paternal nonno was Giuseppe Gialdini of Roccabianca, Parma, and his nonna was Sophia Toti of Massa-Carrara; they met in the Argentina (Santa Fe province) and moved to the USA before my nonno was born. My mother, Lisa Pera is also a quarter Italian (mostly Lucchese and Geonvese). When I think of Italian-American, I first and foremost think of my nonna, her beautiful Tuscan accent, and the wonderful food she used to cook: polpette, frittate, rovillini. I also think of my Catholic faith, and especially of the typical Italian Catholic's devotion to the Madonna (not the singer).

Hello, My name is Edward Yannaccone and I am technically and Italian American. My great grandparents were from Avellino in the Campania province who came to America in the early 1900's in search of a better life. My grandfather, who was born in New Jersey, was often ridiculed and harassed for being an Italian so he decided to fore go his culture and move west after world war 2 in order to start a new existence away from his family. He never taught my father how to speak Italian and didn't really hold any traditional Italian customs, save maybe having pasta on holidays. Despite being one-quarter Italian, I do not identify myself with the culture. I do not speak Italian nor hold any Italian holidays or traditions within my daily life. This does not mean, however. that I am not curious about the culture I ascended from. Curiosity is the main reason I took this course. I want to know about the conditions my great parents and grandfather endured to have them turn away from their culture upon coming to live in America. I want to know how life was like for the them and their communities while they lived in New York and Jeresy. My last name used to start with an "I" supposedly, before the officers at Ellis Island changed it; Why did they change it? I have many more questions and although I don't expect to answer all of them, it is my hope that it might shed some light on some of them. 

My name is Gianna Crivello. I am in this class because I classify myself as an Italian American. Everything that my family is, and does, is Italian American. Not fully American, not fully Italian. We are what I like to call the "in-between-ers." Because of that I wanted to truly learn about the Italian-American history. Especially since I have already taken the language classes that are offered at state, I wanted to separate the language from the history, and simply learn something new. The older generation of my family are the true Italians straight off the boat of Italy, and the younger generation are the ones who are born in America but are influenced greatly by the older generation Italians. Specifically, my Nana is what I truly describe what an Italian American to be. She has been in America for over 40 years, and she moved here to live with my Nanu to marry him and start a life here. She has never lost touch of her Italian self, but has adapted to the American ways and customs. To me, that is what an Italian American truly is. 

My name is Ivy Wood and I am a senior studying Hospitality and Tourism Management with an emphasis in Hotel Management. I was born and raised in New York and moved to San Diego alone in 2012, leaving my entire family behind for the promise of a warmer climate! Even though I have been here for over half a decade, I'm still a New Yorker through and through, and my slight New York accent will probably grab your attention at some point in time. I am here in this class for a few different reasons, including my blood. Pumping through my veins is 50% Sicilian and 25% Italian blood, making me 75% awesome! (Please feel free to laugh!) Now you may be wondering why I didn't simply say that I am 75% Italian, and I don't blame you. The truth is, and please don't be offended, the Sicilian side of my family (my mom's side) always said it's better to be Sicilian than Italian, and the Italian part of my family (my dad's side) always said it was better to be Italian than Sicilian. Confusing, right? Sure, there are differences such as the dialects spoken between each, but why did one have to be better than the other? Thirty years later and I still haven't figured it out, but what I did figure out was in order to please both sides it was best to say there was a difference. So to conclude with why my blood correlates with why I am in the class, it's because I want to learn more about my heritage and hear more stories than just my own. Italian-American means a lot of things to me, after all, it is me. To me Italian-American means respect, family, courage, comfort, secrets, hand gestures, two kisses (one on each cheek), dancing, singing, cooking, (over) eating, furniture covered in plastic, storytelling, yelling, games (especially cards), praying, and lots of laughing. To name something other than my family that makes me think of Italian-American culture, is the famous singer Louis Prima. My family couldn't make it a single get together without playing his songs after we ate, or at least the song "I Ain't Got Nobody", that was our go-to. We would sing so loud and dance around in a circle holding hands like there was no tomorrow. Life is good, we would say, and looking back on it now I couldn't agree more.

My name is Karla Torres.  I have always been a fan of the Italian accent and the similarity to spanish. I also think I once heard my dad said that his great great grandfather was Italian so that makes me about .01 Italian. I know some words since they can be very similar to Spanish as I mentioned before and I am currently hoping that I get to learn the language fluently some day. Italian American to me means that you identify yourself with both cultures and lifestyles. Being a Mexican American myself I can point out that even though I was born in the Americas, I identify my persona as more Mexican than American. Although there is also a bit of a culture shock because I am not entirely familiar with the Mexican culture and I also don’t entirely practice the American culture. I think that even though it is wonderful having both nationalities there is also something that is lost in the process because it is hard to be both cultures at the time. Something that reminds me of Italian artist like Tiziano Ferro and Andrea Bocelli that I listened during my childhood. Also, Little Italy in Downtown San Diego reminds me of the proximity yet distance to the authentic Italian cuisine. 

My name is Katy Higuchi. I am not Italian, but I love the culture and the food. For me, Italian American culture means celebrating both the traditions of Italian culture and American culture. When I think of Italian culture, I always think of movies, especially The Godfather. I can’t wait to watch the movie we will be watching in class because I love movies. 

Ciao! I am Keitel Del Rosario, a fourth-year undergraduate here at SDSU. I am a Philosophy and Humanities major and an Italian and Mathematics minor. I am interested in the topics and theories of identity regarding gender, race, and nationality. I believe that studying Italian American culture, aside from a valuable thing to study in itself, can secondarily tell us about how we understand ourselves and we come to understand ourselves in so far as we are engendered and racialized in general. In my studies I have been fortunate enough to have spent a year abroad in Florence; while I was there I lived with an Italian American homestay family (or would it be reversed to American Italian?). from the Scorseses and Coppolas).

My name is Mariana Barrios. Even not being Italian, nor having any Italian ancestry I have developed a surprising love for the Italian culture. I have always liked listening to Italian music, was very interested in the language, and dreamt about going to Italy, and now that I’ve pursued some of those dreams I feel a little closer to its (the Italian) culture, but I know that there is way more than music, food, and language.  For me, knowing a culture involves many different aspects; it is also the people, their ideologies, their traditions, their social rules, and of course their history, what them and their ancestors have been through, because that can really make you understand the way they behave nowadays. Being part of the American culture and knowing that there is a great Italian history related to it really attracts me and makes me want to learn further. The presence of the Italian American culture for me reflects most of all in the music, with Dean Martin songs like “That’s Amore” or “On an Evening in Roma”, where you can sing most of the words either because you speak both English and Italian, or because they are mostly in English with only a couple of easy words in Italian. These songs have these lovely catchy old Italian melodies that just make you fall in love with it and make you either want to go to the Fontana di Trevi or make you think of the last time you were there. Another huge part of the Italian American culture for me is the pizza. Not the perfect and delicious Italian pizza, but the thick, full of preservatives, “will make you feel full for the rest of your week” American pizza. It is no surprise that the idea of a pizza sounded and tasted amazing when first brought to the United States, nevertheless, I find it funny how little by little, ingredient by ingredient they ended up creating this whole different dish that is now also part of their culture.

My name is Marlene Moore. I am a graduate student in the MALAS program (Master of Arts in Liberal Arts & Sciences).  I have completed my coursework but still need to pass my comprehensive exams in April in order to graduate.  One of my three exam components will be on Italian-American identity with Professor Clo as my advisor. I am half Sicilian and half Hispanic.  Having grown up in San Diego near my Hispanic side (The Romero Family), I have a lifetime of experience with all things Romero! (e.g., hearing Spanish spoken, attending El Grito events on Sept 16, standing in a tamale-making line on Christmas Eve with other family members, etc).  My interaction with my Sicilian side, though, was very limited, as this side of the family lived in Monterey, CA, quite a distance from San Diego. My grandparents came from Sicily (Mazara del Vallo) in the early 1900’s, both passing through Ellis Island with millions of other immigrants.  My Sicilian family name is Giacalone (that would be my Nanu), and my Nana’s family name is Asaro.  I believe Asaro and Giacalone are two of the most common surnames in Mazara.  My dad and one of his brothers legally changed their last name when they were in their mid-20’s after serving in World War II, as an attempt to assimilate more with America.  So I didn’t get to ‘own’ Giacalone as my last name.  I am planning to legally change my last name to Giacalone so I can be Marlene Giacalone for the duration, which is the name I would have had anyway!  It’s never too late, right? For anything!  Even for changing your last name! I have memories of making trips (with my parents and sisters) up to Monterey, to visit my Sicilian grandparents.  When we would arrive after having driven all day from San Diego, my Nana would have wonderful homemade minestrone soup, breads, pastas, and every kind of Italian cookie you can imagine, just waiting for us.  After we had our fill my Nanu would look at us with a stern knit in his brow and say to each of us individually, “Mangia! Mangia!”  I doubt that we could eat to his satisfaction, even if we were stuffed!  He spent his entire life as a fisherman, even sailing/fishing on the Star of India. 

My name is Taylor Parker. I moved here to San Diego when I got out of the Navy in 2014. My mom is half Sicilian and half Italian which makes me a quarter percent of each. I'm hoping to learn enough to discuss the history of Italian Americans with my mother and other family members. It's always interested me. Italian American to me represents my family. My mothers grandparents immigrated from their countries to America. Nobody speaks the language any longer as it wasn't taught from the previous generations. The family still has great pride in being Italian although they may possibly lack original cultural aspects. I'm looking to learn more about the culture as well so I can compare it to my family. 

Hi! My name is Trevor Johnstone and I am majoring in history, hoping to one day become a history teacher.  I am an Italian-American, however, I unfortunately do not know much about my Italian heritage.  My great grandparents moved to New York from Sicily sometime in the mid-1900s.  They did not want my grandma to be bullied and treated differently because of her Italian heritage, therefore they “Americanized” her as she grew up.  Because of this she was never taught the language, some traditions, and much more. I am in this class to learn more about the history of Italian-Americans and to truly understand why many Italian immigrants had to struggle for most of their lives.  I also hope to learn about Italian culture and traditions that I can share with my grandma. When I think of Italian-American I think of my grandma.  Although she wasn’t taught a lot about Italian culture growing up, she still tries her best to teach me what she does know.  I also think of Sylvester Stallone and the movie ‘Rocky’.  I love that movie.