The Fall 2024 semester marked a semester of new partnerships and the continuation of proclaimed annual events. To kick-off the academic year, the Coccia Institute hosted its annual bocce tournament in partnership with Elmwood Park UNICO, teaching students how to play and giving them the opportunity to network and engage with members of the Italian American community. MSU students traveled to the East Rutherford bocce court, which has become newly renovated by Elmwood Park Chapter of UNICO National.
The semester continued with our annual Teaching Italian Symposium, in which this year’s theme was “AI and Italian: An Algorithm for Success.” Organized by the Coccia Institute and Prof. Enza Antenos of the Italian Program, this year’s Teaching Italian Symposium was held on October 18th in the University Hall Conference Center. The annual Coccia-Inserra Award for Excellence and Innovation in the Teaching of Italian (K-12) was presented to Joseph Marquette from Portsmouth, NH. The event featured three innovative workshops, led by Marcogildo Lettieri (University of Puerto Rico), Daria Mizza (American University in Cairo), and Carmela Scala (Rutgers University).
In November, the Coccia Institute presented a conversation with Juliet Grames, bestselling author of The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia. Students had the opportunity to learn about Juliet’s inspiration for the book, while also learning about the publishing industry. Later that evening, the Coccia Institute replicated this event, held at Watchung Booksellers in Montclair.
The Amici Club hosted their second annual holiday party in Dinallo Heights, where students and community members learned how to make pizza and play tombola. Instructed by Michele Carannante, a native Italian chef from Napoli, students perfected their pizza-making skills and many were exposed to tombola for the first time.
In collaboration with the Montclair Women’s Club, we concluded the semester with “The Italians of Newark and Montclair.” This event, presented in conversation with Andrea Cammarato-Van Benschoten, author of The Italians of Newark, and Marialena Marzullo, Co-Chair of the Montclair-Aquilonia Sister Cities Agreement, explored the Italian immigrant experiences of Essex County, including a century of Italian Christmas traditions.