Profiles

When her dreams of Olympic glory didn’t come to fruition, Sophia Campana carved out a successful career in the land of her forebears and beyond. Like almost every talented, driven gymnast, Sophia Campana grew up with Olympic ambitions. “Gosh, I was obsessed with the Olympics,” Campana says. “My thinking was I’ll make it to the Olympics and win the gold medal and then everyone will love me.” So, when she failed to qualify with the gymnastics team for the 2012 Olympics it was a major blow. But in the 13 years since, Campana has made a great career for herself …

Having lived through the Nazi occupation of Italy during World War II as a child, Edward Pasquesi helped keep the North Koreans on the far side of the 38th Parallel after the Korean War. The middle of three children, Edward Pasquesi was born in Bomporto, Italy, to Angelo and Antonietta Santi Pasquesi. His parents had been working on a farm in the Modena valley and returned to Cadagnolo, their family village in the Apennine Mountains, when Pasquesi was 4 or 5 years old. “We were poor, but we really didn’t know it,” he says. Pasquesi lived among relatives from both …

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 …

  Jaquelyn Manetakis loves the communications field because, as she puts is, “it sits at the intersection of purpose, storytelling and impact.” “As a purpose-driven leader, I’m energized by the opportunity to uncover what makes a brand truly unique and amplify how it solves real problems for its customers and communities,” she says. “Communication isn’t just about messaging — it’s about influence, trust and connection.” With nearly 20 years of public relations experience, Manetakis was named among the 2025 Women to Watch by PRWeek, a trade magazine and news website for the public relations and communications industry. Manetakis is a …

Joe Marcantonio didn’t want to be any library’s director — he wanted to be the director at the Winfield Public Library. That’s because he was raised in Winfield, and started working at the library as a shelver at age 16. Coming full circle feels surreal, says Marcantonio, who started as director there in June. “I love this community and the people in it,” he says. “I’ve already had my first patron call me Joey — which I haven’t been called in 35 years — because she remembers me from when her husband was my little league coach.” During his first …

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 …

Recently tapped to chair the National Italian American Foundation, John Calvelli is fueled by a dedication to Italian culture that dates to his early childhood. If there is someone who embodies wholehearted devotion to the cause of preserving and promoting Italian heritage, it’s John F. Calvelli. Calvelli was elected chairman of the National Italian American Foundation in April after serving for more than 25 years on its board of directors, most recently as executive vice chairman. He also was a founder in 1984 and first president of FIERI, a national organization of students and young professionals dedicated to promoting Italian …

The former CEO of America’s largest bookseller found himself championing an obscure Italian novel in his retirement. Stephen Riggio believes it was his destiny to translate Luigi Natoli’s epic Sicilian novel, “I Beati Paoli,” into English. The former CEO of Barnes & Noble spent three years immersed in the project, whose roots trace back to the passing of his daughter Melissa. “From that tragic event, I returned to the study of the (Italian) language, visited Sicily four times, traced my family’s roots back 400 years, discovered distant relatives, translated a classic work of literature and published it the day before …

Having joined the Army Reserves while in dental school, Richard Munaretto opted for three years of active duty as a dentist in Germany rather than one year in Vietnam and one in the States. The oldest of four sons, Richard Munaretto was born in Chicago to Frank and Adelina Peruzzo Munaretto. The family lived near Western and Ohio and later moved to 3750 W. Chicago Ave., living behind his father’s business, Alamo Barber Shop. Munaretto’s maternal grandparents emigrated from Carmignano di Brenta, Padua, and his mother was born in Chicago. His father, born in Tresche Conca, Vicenza, came to America …

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 …