The Spring 2025 semester marked a semester of new partnerships and the continuation of proclaimed annual events. To kick-off the semester, the Coccia Institute and the MSU Amici Club hosted their third annual Festival di Sanremo Watch Party, which took place on Tuesday, February 11th at Montclair State University. During the event, students watched the first serata of the Sanremo Festival (with it being the first time for some), enjoyed pizza, and had a chance to win a coveted lion trophy during the Sanremo Kahoot!
Following this, the Coccia Institute partnered with Italiza Italian Citizenship in presenting “Italian Dual Citizenship: Eligibility Amidst Changing Laws” on Monday, March 4th. The Director of the Coccia Institute, Professor Mark Rotella, was in conversation with Avv. Alessandro Mignacca, the founder of Italiza and Mignacca Law, and Pietro Tripodi, an MSU student studying Political Science and Pre-Law and Intern at Italiza.
Then, the Coccia Institute was thrilled to once again participate in the NJ Devils’ Italian Heritage Night, celebrating the Italian American culture at Prudential Center on March 11th.
The Coccia Institute ended the month of March with our collaboration with the Inserra Chair in Italian and Italian American Studies, in presenting a book talk with a book talk with Maria Laurino, author of “The Price of Children: Stolen Lives in a Land Without a Choice,” which was held on Monday, March 25th in the Feliciano School of Business.
The month of April was packed with many endeavors, including our collaboration with the Office of Alumni & Engagement on their 13th annual Alumni Wine Tasting, celebrating the excellence of wines from Sardegna and Sicilia, held on April 3rd in the University Hall Conference Center.
With support of the Coccia Institute, the MSU Italian Program hosted its first annual Made in Italy Innovation Expo on Monday, April 14th in University Hall. The Made in Italy Innovation Expo celebrated Italian excellence through engaging student research presentations and shared insights from industry professionals from Italian companies such as Serie A, De Cecco, Bindi, and Ferrero.
The Coccia Institute celebrated the achievements of deserving Italian majors and minors at our annual Italian Scholarships and Awards Ceremony, held on Wednesday, April 16th from 6:30-8:30pm in the Feliciano School of Business, Room 140. Six deserving students received scholarships thanks to our generous donors (Coccia Foundation, the Inserra Family, Passaic Valley UNICO, Cavaliere Mary Ann Re, PhD, and the Italian American Club of Four Seasons at Great Notch).
Finally, the Coccia Institute ended the Spring 2025 semester in presenting dott.ssa Laura Montanari’s debut doctoral dissertation performance of “Living Voices: Musical Dialogues with Women of the Italian Resistance,” held on Monday, April 28th at the School of Communication & Media.