Imagine leaving home, your family and your friends. Now imagine doing it all at twenty seven with someone you’ve only seen a couple of times before. My mother, Antonella, left everything behind her to find a future in the United States; not alone of course but with her new husband. She born in Catania, Sicily and had lived in a small nearby city named Nicolosi her entire life. She had spent her whole life chasing her singing career dreams. Unfortunately everything didn’t turn out as planned and her singing career ended. From that moment on she had nothing holding her back from finding a new dream to pursue. Her life completely changed from the moment she made her decision to move away permanently to Park Ridge, IL which is now considered her home.
It’s strange to think that is already been that long. Seems just like yesterday that I was standing there in front of judges; their eyes beating on me watching me place my sheet music on the stand. I’m sure they could tell how nervous I was just by the way my hands were shaking. After singing my first two songs you would think the nerves would settle, but the thought that my future as an opera singer was resting on this moment was still in the back of my mind at all times. I opened my mouth and nothing came out. I couldn’t do it. No matter how much I wanted words to come out they wouldn’t. That was it, and just like that uncontrollable tears started to come out. I remember leaving the room and running into my old singing coach. He asked me why I was crying and I explained the situation. I told him my singing coach had been using a new technique at rehearsals and making me sing with my tongue at the roof of my mouth. I can never forget the way his eyes looked at me. He immediately told me not to speak for a month. He called over my parents and told them I should go see a vocal therapist right away.
I was so scared after the visit. I wasn’t sure what he would say about my voice. Waiting in the waiting room for the results was the worst part. When I saw him walking back in I knew what he was already going to tell me; my singing career was over. One of my vocal cords had been stretched out and my voice would never sound the same again. He said this usually happens when your cords are overworked or are given harmful techniques just like the one my coach had been training me. He gave us two options, we could either leave the vocal cords as they are or receive a special surgery but unfortunately proceeding with the surgery had a 90 percent chance I would remain mute. I obviously decided the surgery was too risky and my singing career would end right there. I never contacted my singing teacher again and moved on to find a new career since I would never be able to get my singing diploma.

To get my mind off of things I decided to take a trip somewhere where I've always wanted to visit. My cousin, Steve, lived in the U.S and I had really wanted to visit him now that I had nothing holding me back. I packed right away and as little as I few months I already was on my way to explore the United States. For you or any other American the United States seems like going nowhere but for me or any other Italian the United States was where everyone wanted to escape to. Like visiting a new modern world much different than what I've been used to. Anyway, as soon as I arrived to Illinois I immediately recognized how wonderful the United States was. As I tourist everything was new and exciting. I saw skyscrapers, city life, coffee shops and met new people. Little did I know that I would encounter someone I would know for the rest my life.
One night Steve and I went out to dinner where we were meeting some of his friends. Everyone I met was so nice and the best part was that some of them could speak Italian so I was able to communicate. I became close to one of his friends I met that day. It turned out he was originally from Naples and had moved temporarily for work in the United States. We started dating and it was a long distance relationship for a while. He would come visit me once and a while in Sicily and I had visited him in Naples. After about five years of an ongoing relationship he proposed to me. We decided to start a new life after we got married in Nicolosi on September 4, 1993 and moved to the United States for good. We decided to settle in our current home in Park Ridge, IL.
Moving to the United States was one of the hardest things I’ve had to do in my life. I left a lot of things back in Italy: my family, my friends and the lifestyle I’d been used to my entire life. It was challenging because I didn’t know anyone other than your dad. I spent my first year there pretty much locked inside of the house. I couldn’t go to the grocery stores or shopping because I had no idea where I was going, I couldn’t call anyone because I didn’t speak the language, and I couldn’t watch T.V because I couldn’t understand it. Everything got better once I started going to school to learn English. I met my best friend there, Simona, who thankfully spoke Italian and was learning English as well. We helped each other and once I started learning English everything got easier. I was able to start making new friends and I was able to start doing everyday activities even the simplest things like watching T.V. Although, it would still take time to master the language.
As time passed I started looking for a job. I decided that starting a job at home would have been the best option for me. I opened up my own music studio and became a music teacher. There was still a slight language barrier but I was able to communicate with the students as well as learn from them too. My students really helped me with my English and it’s thanks to them that I can speak it fluently today.
People always ask me if I’d ever move back to Italy. My answer always stays the same. Sure Italy was beautiful and full of so many things that I will never have here but the United States has become my new home and I’ve learned to appreciate it. Now the economy here has been bad but it will never be as bad as Italy and our lifestyle would have never been this good if we were ever living there. Living here provided not only a better future for me and your father but it will provide a better future for you and your brother. I don’t regret any of the decisions I’ve made so far. If anything happened it happened for a reason; there was a reason that my destiny has brought me here. Looking back I’m so happy I made the decisions I’ve made up to this day. Of course every summer I visit my friends and family with my family. Italy will always be a huge part of my life and it per always be important to me. Now that we have a summer house in Italy I will always have a way to escape to my old home.
The best part of my whole journey is that I still have a chance to live my dream I had when I was young. Earlier this year your grandma told me two important things. First of all that my old singing coach had been sent to jail since she was illegally selling diplomas to students who she ruined. And second that the school where I was auditioning to get a diploma from is giving people who don’t attend the school a chance to try again for their diploma this summer. This is really my second chance and I don’t think I’ll be getting another. I’ve been training again all year and trying even though my voice isn’t the same as it was. I’m willing to put everything I have into this last chance and do my best. Even though people don’t believe in me or tell me that it may not be worth my while I am willing to give it a chance. My whole life I’ve worked for this dream of mine and I’ve never had a single piece a paper to prove that everything I’ve worked for paid off. Every lesson, every practice, every audition and countless hours at a school and nothing has come from it. I want something to prove to me and everyone else that I really did put a lot of work into trying to become a singing major. Whether this audition goes well or not I have shown everyone and even my own children that if they really want something in life they can accomplish it as long as they really work hard for it.

Today Antonella is still training for her singing diploma. She continues putting in hard effort and determination to prove that she can do it. To this day she continues to inspire me and bother to be the best that we can be. She is truly a role model and I have learned a lot from her. You truly can accomplish something if you believe that you can achieve it. This summer Antonella will have her audition in the hopes to live out her dream