Last month, the Sons of Italy Una Famiglia Lodge held a scholarship banquet at Southern Hills Plantation, where they awarded a $1000 scholarship. The recipient was Hanna Maglio, a Wider Horizons School student with a GPA of 4.46. She will be attending the University of Florida, and she plans to study journalism and later go on to law school. Annemarie Guadagnino, Sons of Italy Una Familia Lodge President, presented the award to Hanna.
Hanna got a bit of a reaction from among club members when reading her essay she entered for the scholarship. “One extremely important tradition to my family is having tomato gravy and pasta on Sunday, not alfredo sauce, vodka sauce, pesto sauce, or garlic. It has to be tomato gravy because without it, my grandfather, sister, and brother would die, or so they say. The reason I say tomato gravy is because if it has meat, it is gravy, and if it does not, it is tomato sauce.”
People from different areas of Italy have varying traditions relating to sauce vs. gravy, so there was some boisterous debate on the terminology after Hanna read her essay.
In her essay, she also related a trip to Italy she took.
“Walking around Italy, I was in awe of the ancient architecture and culture. I especially loved visiting Pompeii. The history was unmatched by anything I had seen before. I was fascinated by how the eruption of a volcano could so near perfectly preserve a town. You could find pieces of art that were in almost pristine condition and visit shops where the Pompeians exchanged goods nearly 2,000 years ago. As I explored Pompeii, I realized how lucky I am to have the opportunity to learn more about my heritage and how my ancestors lived.
“Since my trip to Italy, I have continued to explore my Italian heritage. I have learned more about my family history, cooked many Italian dishes, and embraced the language and culture of my ancestors. Each experience has deepened my connection to Italy and reinforced the pride that I feel in my heritage.”
Superintendent Stratton attended the scholarship dinner and thanked Una Familia Lodge for their dedication to helping the students of Hernando County. He also stated, “On behalf of the Board and I, we lift up all students in Hernando County at events like this- It’s all schools throughout the county, not just public schools.”
He also added, “And Hanna, thank you because I didn’t know what gravy meant!”
