CIAO ANNUAL SCHOLARSHIP

CIAO is proud to award annual scholarships to students from Auburn High School and/or Tyburn Academy. Information is available in the spring from the school guidance office. 

2024 Scholarship Winners

The Cultural Italian American Organization of Cayuga County awarded seven scholarships to graduating seniors at the group's picnic June 24. 

CIAO has given a total of 35 scholarships since 2015, and its members are proud of their work giving back to the community. Pictured from left are this year's winners Ella Noble, Riccardo Caruso, Anthony LoMascolo, Carter DeRosa, Ashley Meyers, Caroline Smith, and Ariana Bartolotta. Not pictured is winner Mary Vitale, who is attending a summer program at Cornell. Also pictured are scholarship committee members Arlene Ryan and Tony Gucciardi.

SCHOLARSHIP ESSAYS

Essay by Caroline Smith

          Yum, what’s that smell? Ever since I was a little girl, the aroma of my grandma’s house would consist of baking Italian cookies or fried eggplant and chicken cutlets sizzling on the stove. Italian culture has been something that has fulfilled my childhood and continues to be an essential part of my life today. Whether it’s been the several relatives of mine that have contributed to every season of my life or simply being Italian myself, Italian culture will forever be marked on Caroline Smith. Every holiday season my family and I enjoy a good Italian meal based on long-standing tradition and most importantly have many laughs. Furthermore, my grandma, T.C. Mancini is a prime example of the Italian culture that burns within me. She has been a role model, a helping hand, and most importantly a strong soul throughout my entire life. The impact that she has had on my life is tremendous and she has been sure to carry the treasures of Italy wherever she goes. From preparing many Sunday meals, teaching me lessons about life, or wiping my face as a kid with the mappine in the kitchen, my grandma has been a prominent figure who has represented Italian culture well. Finally, I have taken an active role in Italian culture by participating in the Italian Club at my school and for studying Italian from 7th-12th grade.  I would be a great candidate for the CIAO Scholarship not just because of my Italian culture,  but because it will forever be a major part of who I am! 

Essay by Ella Noble

          Italian culture has shaped my life from the time I was a little girl. My mom’s family is all Italian.  Her two grandfathers came to America from Sicily, and her two grandmothers were born here in America to Italian immigrants from Bari.  

          I knew my mother’s maternal grandmother, Francesca Guido.  She died when I was three, but I still remember her.  I often think about her as being the epitome of an Italian grandmother.  My mom said she used to have Sunday dinner for her children and grandchildren every Sunday until she was in her 70s and was unable to do that kind of cooking.  Even though I never participated in those Sunday dinners, she was truly an Italian grandmother to me.  I remember she always had miniature Hershey bars in her candy dish because she knew how much I loved them!  

          I didn’t grow up listening to Italian being spoken in my home the way my mom and her mom did, but the Italian language had many words that made its way into my home!  I can remember my mom saying, “Andiamo!” when we were ready to go someplace.  Once I started taking Italian at Auburn Junior High School, I started to speak Italian to my mom.  We practice at home, and it’s fun to speak Italian.  It’s even more fun when my dad and siblings don’t know what we are saying! 

          My mom told me that when my great grandma Guido was young, her mother used to say, “Figlia, aiutami!”  My mom taught me this expression, and now when she needs help, she says that to me!

          When I signed up for Italian in middle school, my mom promised me that someday we would go to Italy together.  She went to Italy with my older sister on the Auburn High School trip.  When it came time for me to go, we weren’t able to go.  COVID had changed so many things.  My mom told me that we will go together someday.  

          I am hoping that we are able to go together.  We have some wonderful friends in Milan, and they are always inviting us to come and stay with them.  The only problem now is that my mom was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer in March 2023.  Sometimes she’s like the old mom, but there are a lot of times when she’s too tired to do things.  I really hope that she stays strong enough to be able to bring me to Italy so I can have a beautiful memory of us in Italy.

          Even if I didn’t have an Italian heritage, I think Italian is one of the most important languages and cultures in the world.  Italy’s history is rich in architecture, music, art, and politics.  Luckily for me, I have a lot of Italian heritage in me!

Essay by Ashley Meyers

 Italian culture has had such an impact and influence in my life in many ways. Growing up I have always been told stories about my families history through my parents all the way down to the great grandparents. 

My great nona,Theresa has had the biggest Italian influence in my life. She would try and teach me Italian through song, pat-a-cake games, stories of when she was young and had this great saying of calling you a “baccala” when she was annoyed with you or someone else. I would show nona my Italian school books and she would tell me they were wrong. She would say, “that’s not how you say that,” or “that doesn’t make any sense.” I later found out she only had a third grade education because she was needed at home to help out. I remember her saying later on as I got older she wished she graduated high school or learned about different things going on in the world. It’s funny how thinking about this, how we take our education for granted, and there were and are so many people that wish they had the chance to learn.

 Nona was always making meatballs, spaghetti and braciole. I remember watching her from my little stool next to the counter and asking how much of this and that she would put in to her dishes. She didn't have any measurements and nothing was written down, it was all by sight, taste and texture. Even when she was cooking she was always well dressed, make up and jewelry on, and a thin white lacy apron with ruffles. That apron was the official cooking apron and I believe it belonged to her mom. We would go over every Sunday for lunch and I can still smell the sauce and those meatballs cooking. Nona was always refreshing your plate before it was empty, there was always plenty of food. Watching her cook was like a symphony, and when her sisters all got together, look out. Hands flying in the air, talking a mile a minute, and me being passed around from one great aunt to another. I can still smell the perfume.

Nona lived to be 97 years old, and as she deteriorated, she stopped speaking English and would only speak Italian. She would sing the same song over and over, I wish I could remember the name of it. She was a great lady, and I really miss her.

Essay by Carter DeRosa

When I was in 5th grade I discovered the Percy Jackson series. Over the course of that year I tore through the original 5 books describing Percy’s fight against the Greek gods and other myths. They quickly became my favorite books and I was hungry to read more. 

          Then one day I strolled into the school library and saw a book titled, The Lost Hero. It was the sequel to the original series, but with a twist. The heroes were not only Greek demigods, they were Roman demigods. And they encountered both Greek and Roman myths. This blew my little 5th grade mind. Not only was there one set of cool historical myths, there were two; both equally as interesting! After dismantling the literature of the second series, I became increasingly more fascinated with Roman history and culture. 

          The Romans had one of the most impressive empires in all of history. They constructed their ginormous empire through innovation, loyalty, and hard work. Those aspects of Roman culture have built the foundation of modern day Italian culture. 

          Perseverance, determination, and the ability to do the work without complaints are the founding principles of Italian culture. And these are all values that I try to exemplify in my everyday life, thanks to my father. My father grew up in a very Italian household, his grandparents had immigrated from Sicily and played a massive role in raising him. His grandparents had actually adopted my father, giving him the family name, DeRosa. 

          My great grandparents instilled the Italian values of hard work and discipline into my father and he showcases those values each day. He was a police officer for over 20 years, working the night shift for over half of those years, and I never heard him complain about the workload. Even after working nights he’d come home and cook for us and then go and do the dishes. He did the work, no questions asked, and I aspire to be more like him in that way. 

          I source much of my work ethic to the values of Italian culture and how it has impacted me. Italian culture influenced my great grandparents, my father, and me, providing us with some of the most important life characteristics, determination, resilience, and discipline. But that is not the only way that Italian culture has impacted my life. 

          Italian culture shapes the relationship that my family has with the rest of my father’s family. Family is the cornerstone of Italian culture, and my family deeply respects our family values of loyalty and compassion. Many of my fondest memories come from me sitting along the dining room table, sharing a delicious meal with my family, chit-chatting and enjoying ourselves. 

          Speaking of delicious meals, Italian culture has greatly affected the food I eat on a daily basis. All of my dad’s best recipes are Italian food, from his fettuccine alfredo to his lasagna; my dad elevates his cooking when he’s making Italian food. He’s not just a cook, he’s a chef. I’d estimate that I eat about one Italian meal a day, typically dinner time, or just me eating leftovers for my second dinner (I have a large appetite). And since food is the fuel for your body, I’ve basically got tomato sauce flowing through my veins. 

          Jokes aside, Italian culture has had a massive impact on my life. Italian food is a large portion of my meal plan and Italian family values have defined the relationships between my dad’s side of the family. But most importantly, Italian culture built the foundation for my work ethic, and that will have a long lasting impact on me and my future. 

Essay by Riccardo Caruso

Italian culture is a culture that has impacted someone's life at least one time, but for me Italian culture was responsible for how I grew up. I was born in Italy so I could only be more impacted by that culture because I was in the place where it was born. Italian culture consists of a lot of different things that start with how you relate with others to how you eat. An example to how Italian culture has impacted me is by teaching me how to show respect to others, how to eat, and soccer was also an important part of it.

One of the most important parts of Italian culture is the food. Italian food could be said to be one of the best the world has. In Italy there is a tradition especially on important days to start cooking very early so that by 12.30 pm you are ready to sit down and eat.. My grandma, when she knew we were going to visit her, would start making home-made pasta early in the morning so that it would taste better than the one bought at the store. The pasta was usually fusilli or cavatelli, which she learned from her late mother, and that  she has now passed down to me. She would also get the salsa ready and prepare all of the lunch, usually consisting of cooked rabbit with olives, and vitello tonnato, which are a usual second meal in Italy. Sometimes the many things to do would require more people to help and this taught me how to make different foods.This culture is impactful because I can still remember the smell of the food being cooked and when it was ready we would all sit down and wait till everyone was seated to eat. Food in Italian culture is always a way to bring people together. On Sundays relatives would organize lunch or dinners that all relatives would attend together making food to bring to everyone together. 

Soccer is almost like football here in America but more famous. The majority of people in Italy will have a team that they support and one they hate. Soccer when I grew up was a sport that everybody talked about, this influenced me to play soccer as a sport and make it my sport. When you were younger my dad, as usual italian dad’s did, would push you towards the direction of soccer, as their dad did with them, so this made almost every kid know something about it thus making it a frequent discussion as I was growing up. All of my friends played soccer and because of that I also decided to try the sport making this year the 11th year in a row that I play it. Conversations about soccer are common in Italy and in some places as the middle of Italy soccer is a serious topic, that makes people scared to challenge. You would hear people scream at their tv when someone scored or hear them angry if their team got scored on. I wasn’t as passionate about soccer as them but it did impact me growing up and when I came to America soccer was a way to make new friends and experiences in something I was good at.

To summarize Italian culture shaped the man that I am today and thanks to the teaching I learned when I was younger I was able to grow as a respectful and educated person. Now that I am in America I am still impacted by Italian culture since the things that I learned about are still fresh in my memories, and continued to be taught by my parents, even if my complete family isn’t here to teach it, and I still get together with my family to eat together every day. I also keep pursuing my passion for soccer because I think it’s the best sport there is.

Essay by Ariana Bartolotta

          Growing up in an Italian family; Sunday dinners were a sacred meal.  We would go over to my Nonna and Nonno’s house and congregate for loud conversations, kids running in and out of the kitchen, and sitting for a multi course meal.  Not a seat would be left open at the dining table. Each chair filled with an aunt, uncle, cousin, sibling and so on…  In true Nonna fashion, she would be up and down, more times than I can count, because she forgot something or was fetching more sauce or bowl of grated cheese, or a new spoon because my cousin dropped their spoon  onto the floor.  Without fail she would abruptly stand up and yell, “aspetta, aspetta”.  We would all look at each other and laugh, because we all anticipated the up and down, the demands and needs of everyone and my Nonna be frazzled.  The funny thing is, she never once told us to get up and get whatever it might be ourselves.  We would have finished our hot meal before my Nonna even touched her room temperature plate.  The communion of family, at least once a week, has taught me the importance of familial bonds.  My Italian culture’s foundation is strengthened by love, and the coming together to share a meal, good laughs and storytelling. 

Essay by Mary Vitale

Being Italian: Much More Than Heritage

          Being Italian has easily been one of the biggest influences on my life. From my cultural traditions to the constant "Oh I know him! He's my cousin" everything is Italian. When my great-grandfather immigrated to Auburn, NY from Cinisi, Sicily, he paved the way for a long line of Italians who valued family, generosity, and hard work. The Cinisi Club has been an important part of my family for the last 64 years. What started as an effort to keep the cousins close grew into a tradition that my family looks forward to each year. We gather twice a year: the Christmas party in December and the Cinisi Picnic in July. These parties host around 200 people, all of whom are related in one way or another. Being a part of a family so big is something I take pride in. My father, who has been the president of the Cinisi Club for the past decade, always opens the gathering with a speech. He explains why the Cinisi Club was started, thanks all of the relatives who help organize the events, introduces the new babies born in the family that year, and of course, leads us in a prayer before eating.

          In 2022, I had the opportunity to visit the town of Cinisi with my family. It was amazing to see not only the place where my ancestors grew up, but also how strong family ties hold even across the ocean. We had the chance to go into the Cinisi municipality, even meeting the mayor who presented my father with a book explaining the history of Cinisi. Seeing my father and his cousin sit on the front step of my great-grandfather's house in the middle of the town is something I'll never forget. The trip brought me closer to my own rots and made meven more grateful to be a part of such a strong family whose connections and history run deep. The Italian heritage stands for so much more than just where you come from; it's a symbol of family, loyalty, and hospitality. As I've grown older over the years, I've begun to feel increasingly grateful for my ginormous family and the relationships I have with them. I realize that not everyone has what I have: a never-ending line of people who truly care about me, who know what it means to be part of a family, and who are always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needs it.

          My Italian culture will always be something that I hold near and dear to my heart. It's something that I look forward to preserving as I start my own family in the future. Being Italian is something that has become a part of me as a person, and it's something that I embrace and love about myself and my family. Although the parties may be loud and chaotic, the traditions might be hard to keep with, and the family obligations may seem excessive at times, it's something I wouldn't trade for the world.

Essay by Anthony LoMascolo

          Italian culture has been something I've grown up around my entire life. It has helped shape my values, and me overall as a person. From every Sunday night dinner at my grandmas, to my recent cooking lessons where I learned to make chicken parmigiana, to pasta with broccoli. One of the most important lessons I've learned is that a good cook never shares her recipes, at least all of it. There's always a certain ingredient that is always left unsaid, especially when it comes to cookies.

          Each Sunday night dinner taught me that nothing is more important than family. Countless nights I would sit and listen to my family laugh and banter and wonder whether or not they were in an argument, or they were just talking loud. Some of the best laughs I've ever had have been watching my grandma screaming and laughing talking to relatives in Buffalo and Sicily. I've never seen someone's hands more so quickly before and be so happy doing it. I was aways puzzled when my grandma was talking o the phone in Italian, I would never figure out what she was saying but I could tell it made her happy. This always made me want to learn Italian, so one day me and my grandma could have a secret conversation about my brothers, and no one would know.

          It wasn't until the day my grandma came back from one of her trips to Sicily that I felt like a true "Italian." When she came back she had brought me back my own leather wallet, and a set of gold jewelry, one being a chain with a cross on it, and the other a bracelet with the island of Sicily hanging off it. This made me fit the stereotype of an Italian, my nickname was Tony and I had an Italian grandma that could cook the best food, I'd go to dinner every Sunday, and I now had the chain to put it all together. I felt like an Italian, and I loved it, and I was so proud to be a part of my family and be called an "Italian." My grandma even made meatballs for my third grade class, just because I wanted to show off that I had a grandma that could make meatballs that couldn't be beat (of course they were a hit). I still wear that chain every day and it never leaves my neck, and I've even found a job at my uncle's pizzeria, Nino's II in Auburn to make me fit even more into that stereotype.

          I'm now planning a trip with my family to go to Siculiana, Sicily to meet my grandma's side of the family over the summer. I'll meet cousins who I've never even heard of and try food that I never could have imagined trying. I'm excited to learn about where my family came from and see the place where they grew up and listen to stories about their childhood. I'll hopefully pick up some Italian slang and come back with a nice olive tan. Being Italian isn't only about the good food, it's about the bond made between you and your family, and the pride that stems from it, and that is why I am proud to say that I am Italian.

Congratulations to past winners:

2023:  Matthew Crawford, Sophie Pettigrass, Shae Fitzgerald, Colin Musso, Michael Clark, Abigail Carr, Mia D'Angelo.

2022:

2021: Amelia Bartolotta, Elizabeth Moriarty, Emma Lomascolo, Krysha Pierce, Luca Pirozzolo, Zachary Saurini

2020: Elisa Faiola, Caroline Netti, and Zachary DeCaro

2019: Ashley Reilly and Zachery Moore

2018: Victoria DeJoy and Emma Clark

2017: Lydia Marteney and Christopher Moriarty