Page 14 - Italian American Herald - May 2022

14 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | MAY2022 LOCAL
Meet Iacopo Pavan, exchange student at Cape Henlopen
instead of 8 p.m. He noted that cultural diversity in America is not unlike that in Italy, saying that customs and language (including colloquial expressions) vary from region to region.
After completing his final year of study in Italy, Iacopo plans to attend university and to revisit the United States to travel or maybe again to study. IAH
By Maria Teresa Morrison
LEWES – Iacopo (Jacob) Pavan, an 18-year- old Italian exchange student from Cittadella in the province of Padua, is attending classes at Cape Henlopen High School.
While in the United States, he is hosted by his art teacher Amy Beitzel, her husband Matthew and their two children.
Iacopo’s mother, an English teacher in Italy, encouraged him to learn and speak English, going beyond the classes offered
in elementary schools there (normally beginning at age 6), with the benefit of practicing outside the classroom. He said he’s enjoying his time in the United States and the opportunity to meet new friends and appreciate other cultures.
Over the spring break, Iacopo is looking forward to a visit to New York City with his host family, having already visited Baltimore and Annapolis with other exchange students. His adventure and stay in the United States is being sponsored by ASSE (American-Scan-
dinavian Student Exchange) and Mondo Insieme. He said he is particularly enjoying his psychology and criminal justice classes at
Cape Henlopen.
When he returns to Italy in the fall, Iacopo
will complete a year of study at his “liceo” (high school) Tito Lucrezio Caro, where he is studying linguistics, classics and science.
He noted some differences in the daily routine in Delaware and in his hometown. In Italy he attends school from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., six days a week. Lunch is not provided in school there, so most students return home and then have the afternoon free to explore personal interests such as sports and music.
When he is home, Iacopo spends afternoons training with his soccer team, which plays matches on weekends. However, he wasn’t in Delaware in time to play with the Cape Henlopen soccer team, and activity he said he misses.
He said his host family has helped him become accustomed to American family life, such as having the evening meal at 5 p.m.
UNICO members hear author speak about LaGuardia
ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
By Maria Teresa Morrison
LEWES – Jo-Ann Vega, born in the South Bronx of immigrant Italian grandparents and now living in southern Delaware, recently spoke to members of the Rehoboth Area Chapter of UNICO on the life of Fiorello LaGuardia and of her recent publication “Moments in Flight: A Memoir.”
In her presentation, part of a series of lectures on celebrating Italian Americans, Vega examines “how and why La Guardia overcame the odds, his rise to power and how ethnicity (Italian father/Jewish mother) shaped his values and character.”
LaGuardia was one of the most effective and beloved mayors of New York City (1933- 1945), as well as the first Italian American elected to Congress (1916-1919). In those times, immigrant Americans were regarded
as lazy, violent, unintelligent and treated with hostility – a familiar stereotype.
Vega is a dynamic speaker with 30 years of experience presenting to academic, business, and community groups. She has 20 years of adjunct experience on the undergraduate and graduate levels teaching business courses.
“Moments in Flight” chronicles the courage, sacrifices and endurance of immigrants, bringing their lost history full circle via published documents, registries and dockets.
In October, she will continue the lecture series with a presentation on Lee Iacocca. IAH
UNICO is an national Italian-American service organization dedicated to helping everyone regard- less of ethnicity and to the preservation of Italian heritage and culture. For more information contact unicodelawaredistrict1@gmail.com
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