Nuova Generazione

Melrose Park is a town with deep Italian roots, and Gianna Capra draws from those roots daily as she reaches for the stars. A lifetime resident of the near western suburb, Capra plays an integral part in the business, spiritual and cultural life of her community. By day, she is a familiar face at Pan American Bank, where she serves as teller. And each Sunday, she is a beloved voice at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church, where she performs as a soloist at Mass. A classically trained soprano, Capra has been singing at church since she was 12 years …

Persistence and focus are the keys that open up the doors to success. Eighteen-year-old Cettina Nardulli has unlocked those doors, and a bright future lies ahead of her. Nardulli graduated with honors from Ridgewood High School in Norridge on May 27, having blossomed into a capable young lady. During her high school career, Nardulli managed to juggle participation on the pompom squad and soccer team with a leadership role as class council president and still earned a GPA of more than 4.5 along with an honorable mention on the 2013-2014 Illinois High School Association’s All-State Academic Team. “My parents are …

Christina and Angelina Romano have mastered the art of karate at very young ages. At 12, Christina has earned one third-place trophy, two first-place medals, four second-place medals and four third-place medals. And at 9, Angelina has earned three first-place trophies (including one in national competition), five first-place medals, three second-place medals, two third-place medals and two fourth-place medals. For the past four years, Christina and Angelina have made their way regularly to the Illinois Shotokan Karate Club (ISKC.com) in Geneva, Ill., to practice. They have learned from some of the best, including Sensei Brian Mertell, who serves on the …

Walking down the aisle in a beautiful white dress, graced with impressively coifed hair, is the picture-perfect dream for any bride. Traveling hair stylist Livia Caporale liviacaporale.com feels happy — and lucky — to be a part of that special day. A graduate of world renowned Pivot Point Academy, Caporale has had a love and passion for hair styling since her days at Trinity High School in River Forest. A typical schedule for Caporale consists of meetings and consultations during the week with her clients. She also dabbles in commercial photography, and offers lessons in hair care and maintenance. When …

Not a day goes by that Vince Chiarelli Jr. does not think about his grandfather. Chiarelli — a Rockford, Ill., native and music enthusiast — has recently taken on the role of president of Vincent Records, an independent label his grandfather founded when he moved to Rockford from Sicily in the 1950s. Also named Vince, Chiarelli’s late grandfather rubbed elbows with some of Motown’s finest to up-and-coming artists in the music capital of the world, Nashville, Tenn., and his innovative work all those years ago is helping his grandson realize his own dreams today. The elder Vince Chiarelli passed away …

Domenic (Nico) Serritella has a lot to be proud of. As a junior at Kendall College, the acclaimed school for hospitality management and the culinary arts, he was offered the opportunity of a lifetime and he seized it. As a result, he found himself interning at Trattoria Delle Tele, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Porretta, Italy. Growing up, Serritella vividly remembers watching his culinary inspiration, Mario Batali, on television, and years later he was cooking in the same kitchen that Batali once trained at. Serritella’s father, Domenico, hails from Ricigliano, Salerno, and a family friend and attorney helped Nico make contact …

Elizabeth Poli was a genetics major in her junior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison when she decided to branch out and volunteer at a local children’s hospital. As she helped out with sick children and their worried families, it all clicked for the Park Ridge native, and upon graduation, she applied for and was accepted at the University of Chicago’s prestigious Pritzker School of Medicine. “I initially thought I would pursue a Ph.D. and do research in a lab,” Poli explains, but a more hands-on career path beckoned. That path became even clearer during her third year of medical …

Scott Aiello’s theatrical journey has tested his determination in many ways. After spending years on the Chicago theater scene making great first, second and third impressions on producers and peers alike, he decided to pack his bags and move to the East Coast. He didn’t follow the path of the starving artist, though. Aiello was accepted at Juilliard, the most prestigious theatre school in the country. And less than a year after he graduated, the industry is already taking notice. Aiello began his journey after graduating magna cum laude from Loyola University in Chicago with a degree in philosophy. He …

Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen and Innocent World are just some of Emma Bottari’s inspirations in the fashion world. But the budding designer wanted to do more than just create beautiful clothing. And so, immediately after graduating with a BFA in fashion from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, she launched her own internet-based enterprise, www.industrialkitty.com. Dedicated to showcasing “Fancifully quaint fashions for those looking to drift through a metamorphosis of dreamy elegance,” her website features designs that spring directly from the mind, hand and heart of Bottari. With whimsical names like Little Bear, Piano Keys, Cream Bow and …

Twenty-eight-year-old Chicago native Dan Fleming definitely chose the path less traveled when he signed up in July 2011 for a 27-month stint in the Fiji Islands as a part of the Peace Corps. The son of Mark Fleming and Jo-Marie Frigo, he was a recent graduate of the University of New Mexico at the time with a degree in construction engineering. Instead of diving right into the job market, Fleming chose to immerse himself in a completely different culture while reaching out to help his fellow human beings. “In the two years we’ve been out here, we’ve experienced a small …