Family, Work, and Education

What does it mean to be an Italian American? To what do they attribute their successes? As told by the individuals featured in the documentary, Italian Americans are shaped by strong family values, an intense work ethic, and a deep appreciation for education.

Family

I think that the greatest value that my grandmother taught us was the importance of family.
– Angelica Santomauro, Director, Botto House

It seemed like everybody was a relative. Even people who weren’t relatives we were calling aunts and uncles because they were such close friends.
– James Joseph Daloisio, Esq., Attorney at Law

For us, it’s extremely important to keep the nucleus of the family strong and united.
– Antonio Grande, Restaurateur, Il Capriccio Ristorante

Work

My grandparents were blue collar laborers. They were the workforce of this country, and the backbone of the United States.
– Joe Piscopo, Businessman/Actor

Assuming that nobody is going to give you anything for nothing is already a big step forward because you know you have to work for everything you get, which gives you motive and incentive to work hard and try to achieve something.
– Frank Gargione, Electrical Engineer, Lockheed Martin

I think that’s another Italian characteristic - that whatever you do, if you are the person who is in a skilled occupation, if you’re mowing a lawn, if you’re hanging a picture frame, if you’re baking some cookies – whatever it is you do, you need to do it with gusto and do it well, to the very best of your ability.
– Eileen L. Poilani, Ph.D., Vice President, St. Peter’s College

My father was a tremendous worker. He had a work ethic like you could not believe. Anything he put his mind to, he could do. That same work ethic is in me.
– Raymond R. Rastelli, Sr., Businessman

Education

Here in New Jersey, these people who came over as immigrants . . . didn’t have an education whatsoever, but they were smart enough to know that it was important to send their children to school and to have them go to college and be educated.
– Sister Margarita Marchione

A truly educated person . . . from the standpoint of my parents – someone who really understood the world, someone who was well-read, someone who understood people of different races, someone who understood different religions, someone who truly could read a newspaper and feel as though they could comprehend what was happening in different parts of the world. That was a person who was truly educated.
– Anthony Coscia, Esq., Chairman of the Port Authority

I could not remember a dinner or any affair that we had that all my uncles were not asking me – “where are you going to college, what are you going to do, what do you see for yourself in the future?”
– Salvatore Davino, President Davino, Fidelity Land; Commissioner, Italian American Commission