As they have for 105 years, the members of the San Rocco di Simbario Society will embark on a five-and-a half-hour procession through the streets of Chicago’s Chinatown to honor the patron saint of their ancestral hometown. In the process, they’ll be celebrating their Catholic faith and maintaining a tradition now entering its fifth generation. “It’s based on devotion, it’s religious, spiritual and it’s about family,” says Frank Bertucci, the society’s treasurer. “My daughter told me, as we walk through the streets of the old neighborhood, it’s like a walking family reunion. We see people we’re related to and even …

The granddaughter, daughter and youngest sibling of talented rowers, Christina Salvi is carving out a place for herself in the sport. The New Trier High School Freshman Girls crew battled choppy waters, fended off fierce competitors and ultimately won a gold medal at the top rowing tournament in the country on May 24 at the Scholastic Rowing Association of America’s Championship Regatta. The event was hosted on the Cooper River in New Jersey, just a few miles east of Philadelphia. Christina Salvi, one of a team of eight rowers guided by a coxswain, says that before the final race the …

The Calabresi in America Organization has elected Gina Badagliacca to serve as its 2025-2026 president, and the longtime member couldn’t be more thrilled to helm the vibrant organization. “I think everything about the club is great,” she says. “The functions are exciting, the people are amazing and there are lifelong friendships that we create.” Badagliacca’s parents, Francesco and Rosaria Spizzirri, were both members pretty much since the group was launched, she says, noting that she has been involved since she was a teenager, stepping up her participation after her father passed away three years ago. “He has a lot to …

A standout basketball player from middle school through college, Jill Pizzotti’s lifelong desire to lead from the sidelines propelled her to the pinnacle of the collegiate world when she was tapped to helm DePaul’s women’s team. Jill M. Pizzotti, who will begin her first season as head coach of the DePaul Blue Demons women’s basketball team this fall, knew from a young age that she wanted to go into coaching. “Besides loving the sport of basketball, I just think I’ve been inspired by the coaches I had over the years,” Pizzotti says. “I thought they were great people.” When Pizzotti …

Phyllis Colonna Schoene has been a member of the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans for 60 years and was part of its all-volunteer staff for nearly a decade before being invited to asked to fill a big pair of shoes. That call came after Jo Ann Serpico, the organization’s beloved, longtime executive director, passed away last April. “We miss her, she was our leader,” Schoene says. “She was well loved in the community and continues to be.” Schoene says she is truly honored that JCCIA President Ron Onesti chose her to succeed Serpico, and is grateful for the opportunity …

Recently retired after nearly 40 stellar seasons as head coach of the DePaul women’s basketball team, Doug Bruno continue to pitch in as a special assistant to the program. After 39 seasons of exemplary leadership on and off the court, Doug Bruno has stepped down as the head coach of the DePaul women’s basketball team. Through his long career, Bruno established himself as one of the most prominent and influential figures in collegiate women’s basketball. He was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022 and the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 2017. He also …

Attorney Maria Gabriella Antoniolli works closely with individuals who are going through some of the hardest challenges of their lives while passing through the family court system. “We see people at their worst and try to get them out at the other side of the tunnel,” says Antoniolli, who goes by “Gabby.” “You have to deal with a lot of contentious and high stress situations, sometimes its people fighting over their kids or assets.” Antoniolli says the job can be emotionally draining, but she has found that she has the right temperament for the challenge. “There’s a need and it’s …

While other kids were batting, pitching and fielding their way toward careers on Major League Baseball’s fields of dreams, Wayne Randazzo’s sights were set a little higher. Countless young boys grow up following Major League Baseball on TV or the radio and dream of one day being part of the game. Wayne Randazzo wished for a life in baseball, but not as a player — he wanted to get to call the action. “Pretty much ever since I knew I needed a job when I got older, this has been the job I wanted,” says Randazzo, 40, who is in …

During her senior year at the UIC College of Dentistry, Dr. Lauren Allegretti was granted a scholarship from the Arcolian Dental Arts Society. She joined the society after graduating residency in 2016, became a board member in 2020 and now will ascend to be the society’s president this April. “It’s cool,” Allegretti says. “It feels very full circle.” That she has become so involved with the Arcolian Society is even less surprising given her family’s professional history: She is the 11th member of the Allegretti/DiFranco clan to become a dentist. She attended society meetings while she was in a dental …

As the point person for Lega Serie A USA, it’s Andy Mitchell’s job to raise the profile of Italian soccer in one of the world’s most coveted markets. Since 1898, when Italians have wanted to enjoy calcio at its finest, they’ve turned to Lega Serie A, one of the top domestic soccer leagues in the world. In the spring of 2022, the Italian league opened an office in New York City and tasked Andy Mitchell with convincing more Americans to join in the fun. Calcio is the most popular sport in Italy and its national team is second only to …