Left, Prof.Maria Cristiano - Language Coordinator; in the middle Prof.Cecilia Mattii - Education Committee; on the right Prof. Carmen Merolla Language Examinator and Former Plida Language Coord.; behind, Laura Clerici

CIAO!

Here are the pictures of the PLIDA certification ceremony for the students that passed the May 2012 session.

M.Cristiano and Rose M.Adamo who passed the Level A1 Plida

M.Cristiano and Peter Czarnecki who passed the Levels A1 in November 2011 and Level A2 in May 2012

M.Cristiano and Caterina Rao who passed the Level A2

Prof. Spencer DiScala, President, and Megan Cuocco Hempstead who passed the level A1

M.Cristiano and Henry DeBenedetto who passed the Level A1

M.Cristiano and John Cannon who passed the Level A1

President Prof. DiScala, M.Cristiano and Thomas Barbar who passed the Level A1

Congratulations also to Brigitte Anelli who wasn’t present at the party, but she passed the Level A1 in May 2012, too. Last but not least, we don’t forget the “brava” Allison Longley who passed the level A2 and now she won a scholarship to study in Italy.

Thank you also to Comm. Lino Rullo, President of Education Committee for his efforts.

President Prof. DiScala, Prof. Maria Cristiano and Prof. Carmen Merolla

Thank you also to our President Comm. Spencer Di Scala, PhD, and Prof. Cecilia Mattii for going ahead with PLIDA certification project

In addition, we asked our students why you should learn Italian. We chose the following response as the best one. It is explains why studying Italian can make all the difference.

I grew up listening to the sounds of the Italian language spoken by my grandparents and my mother, but I never learned to speak Italian.  As teenagers, all four of my grandparents emigrated from Sicily to Boston.  As first generation Americans, my parents were determined to raise me as an “American”.   Assimilation, not multiculturalism, was the driving force of the day.  Therefore, although the Italian ladies of the neighborhood would visit and speak Italian with my mother, only English was spoken to me.  It is my dream to learn Italian, perhaps live for a period of time In Italy, and finally understand those beautiful sounds from my childhood.  (R.M.Adamo)