By NICOLE GIFFORD
STAFF WRITER
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Rutgers University sophomore Michelle Timoni has found ways to connect with her Italian heritage, even while living miles away from family in Rome and her hometown of Clark, N.J.
She recently joined the university's Italian Club, which holds bimonthly Wednesday meetings on College Avenue campus. |
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“My mom is Roman and my dad is Sicilian, and my mom’s great uncle and cousins still live in Rome,” Timoni said. “Being Italian is an important part of who I am, so joining Italian Club was a natural choice for me.”
The organization hosts regular events that celebrate Italian culture, including movie and game nights, and takes group trips to destinations like Italian restaurants and festivals. Timoni says that participating in the club will be a great way to gain connections and get involved in a student organization at school while keeping in mind ties to relatives both at home and abroad.
“I hope to learn more about my culture, make friends, and do fun things with them, like go to Little Italy,” Timoni said.
Timoni visited her family in Italy during the summer of 2012, when she traveled there with her Italian class from Arthur L. Johnson Regional High School. It was her first trip to the country, and she says she enjoyed every second of it.
“We saw nine cities in 10 days, which was fun but kind of intense,” Timoni said. “I was so happy when we stopped in Rome and I had the chance to see my cousins.”
This summer, Timoni’s Italian family members came to the United States to go to an American cousin’s wedding. Timoni loves seeing how they appreciate pieces of local culture that she often takes for granted.
“When they come here they usually like to go out to eat, and they get pancakes and cheesecake wherever they go because they don't have them in Italy,” Timoni said. “They also love shopping in New York City."
Timoni will further connect with her culture next summer by visiting Italy for the second time
I'll go to Rome to spend a few weeks with my family," I told them I wanted to go see the small town that my family was originally from, so we'll probably spend a few days there, too."
Though Timoni enjoyed several years of Italian language classes as a high school student, she thinks that practicing with other members of the club will also improve her ability to speak Italian and communicate with her relatives.
“I’m better at understanding than speaking the language,” Timoni said. “I want to use Italian in a more practical way so that I can improve my speaking skills.”
Additionally, joining Italian Club has inspired Timoni to participate in more student organizations on campus. Timoni, whose prospective major is Journalism and Media Studies with a minor in Political Science, is considering joining Rutgers University’s student newspaper, The Daily Targum.
In the meantime, Timoni is excited to find a sense of home and community in Italian Club this semester. She occasionally finds it challenging to be separated from her close-knit network of relatives.
"My favorite thing about being Italian is having a big, crazy, loud, and loving family," Timoni said.
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