Tom Holleman may not be of Italian descent, but he’s as strong a proponent of Italian culture and traditions as anyone, starting with the venerable game of bocce. Holleman is the president of the Highwood Bocce Club in Highwood, Illinois, which the Wall Street Journal once called “America’s bocce capital.” Holleman grew up in Libertyville, Illinois, attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and got a master’s degree in information systems from DePaul University. He works as senior technology manager for Bank of America. He and his wife of 32 years, Michelle, met during a blind date in college that …

Italian language teacher Lauren Krause loves to bring food and cultural items into the classroom to make the learning experience more vivid for her students. “Most recently, students tried 100% extra virgin authentic olive oil, which many had never tried in their lives,” says Krause, a 7th and 8th grade Italian teacher at Indian Trail Junior High School in Addison, Illinois. “It was so fun seeing their reactions.” Krause has taught for 13 years at Indian Trail, where she currently teaches six sections of Italian to around 100 students each day. Her Italian level 1 course takes place over two …

  Playing the accordion for hospital patients. Working as a crossing guard. Dog sitting for 30 clients. At age 71, Linda Iovino likes to keep busy, never forgetting a quote she read at the bookstore when she was in high school: “It takes 12 muscles to smile and 72 muscles to frown.” While the numbers may or may not be accurate, the underlying message exemplifies how Iovino continues to live her life. “With what is going on in our world today, people are having a hard time getting through the day,” she says. “We all need to do things that …

Crediting pool with saving him during a dark period in his life, Eric Naretto has risen through the ranks of the sport through a combination of fascination and dedication. 2023 was the best year as an amateur competitive pool player for Eric Naretto, who credits the sport with helping him develop into the person he is today. Naretto, 35, of Pontiac, Illinois, placed third in Skill Level 7, the highest level in 8-Ball Classic at the 2023 American Poolplayers Association national championship, and he was the runner-up in 9-Ball at the 2023 Midwest Billiards and Cue Expo championship. The accomplishments …

A devout Catholic with a long history of involvement in faith-based organizations, Gabriele Delmonaco has helped Boys’ and Girls’ Towns of Italy rebrand and export their initiative around the world. Gabriele Delmonaco says he fell in love with the nonprofit A Chance In Life from the moment he learned about it. The 52-year-old has served for nine years as president and CEO of the New York City-based nonprofit, which began in 1945 as an effort to help street children in Rome, Italy. Delmonaco tells Fra Noi about the journey that led him there and the work of A Chance In …

Westlake Urgent Care is a labor of love and source of pride for Shellye Pechulis, a nurse with more than four decades of experience who was integral to its creation in 2021. Pechulis, 71, currently works as nurse administrator at the non-profit urgent care facility in Melrose Park, which was created by her and a team of doctors, nurses and medical professionals who banded together to meet the needs of the community. “When we opened up everybody laughed at us and said we’d never make it,” she recalls. “Well, here we are.” Pechulis, whose father was born in Foggia, Italy, …

Now in his 7th year as a high school Italian-language teacher, Cody Mueller can’t imagine a career better suited for him. At one point, however, he came close to giving up on his dream. “It was a bumpy road there for a while,” the 30-year-old says. “Right out of college, I felt very enthusiastic about everything. I was working part-time but I had a hard time nailing down a full-time position, and I got a little bit exhausted. I started to lose faith in being able to find that stability and I even left teaching for two years.” A lifelong …

Being Italian has always been central to Frank Schiro’s identity, and for decades he has devoted himself to highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of the community in the United States. An experienced litigator and trial attorney in Milwaukee, Schiro recently was elected president of the Order Sons and Daughters of Italy in America, Grand Lodge of Illinois and Wisconsin. He is the founder of the former Filippo Mazzei Greater Milwaukee Lodge, which in 2009 merged with the Chicago Lodge to become the current Grand Lodge. Joining Schiro as Grand Lodge officers are Immediate Past President Marie Marsalli, Orator James LasCola, …

A veteran sportscaster at the age of 34, Maria Marino is forever broadening her skills and expanding her horizons in the profession. Multimedia on-air personality Maria Marino has a clear philosophy: Take advantage of any opportunity for growth. “I want to keep pushing boundaries,” the 34-year-old New Jersey native says. “It can be a hard path, but I think it’s rewarding when you keep challenging yourself and putting yourself in situations where you’re going to learn and grow.” For the past year, Marino has worked for the sports media company Action Network, where she hosts the Monday-through-Friday podcast “Green Dot …

A native of Brooklyn, Michael Bonasera has invested countless volunteer hours in the creation and running of the History of Italian Immigration Museum in Philadelphia. Michael Bonasera is the designer, builder and curator of the History of Italian Immigration Museum in Philadelphia. A mechanical engineer by trade, Bonasera, 69, has poured thousands of volunteer hours into the museum, which is part of Filitalia International, a nonprofit that promotes and preserves Italian heritage, language and customs throughout the world. He spoke with Fra Noi about how he started the museum, its mission and how it has evolved over the last decade. …