Annalysa Sperduto

Thank you so much for selecting me for this scholarship. It means the world to me to share my experience with my Italian heritage and how I want to continue to learn more about it. As a second-generation American, so many people who immigrated from Italy during the large-scale discrimination in New York decided not to pass along their culture to their children for fear of them being seen as "different". I have found being in school and independently learning about the history of my family so fulfilling. Since my Nonna's passing, I've wanted to explore more about my identity and I feel my connection to my past growing the more I study music, learn Italian, and plan to study abroad in the next two years with hopes to visit my Nonna's childhood homes in Calabria and Rome. Thank you again for believing in me and helping to fund my education so I can continue to learn more about my past and share it in the future!