L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, DCEMBER 22, 2016 www.italoamericano.org 8 SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY U niversità Bocconi, locat- ed in Milan, Italy, was founded in 1902 and was the first Italian university to grant a degree in economics. For over a century, Bocconi has played a leading role in Italy's social and economic moderniza- tion. It has remained true to its founding values of being a major res earch u nivers ity, with democratic values and open to the world, as well as finan- cially and politically indepen- dent. It is one of Italy's most important universities in the fields of economics, manage- ment and social sciences. The Bocconi A lumni A s s ociation (BA A ) has an intense program of activities teaming up with European alum- ni groups, premier American MBA alumni chapters, as well as events with prominent Italian and European leaders in areas of business, economics, politics, culture and arts. The dynamism reflected by the San Francisco Chapter is yet another sign of the "Italian Spring" that a new generation of leaders is promot- ing these days in San Francisco. The San Francisco chapter is under the leadership of Pietro Bonanno. Pietro reflects the es s ence of the new Italian A merican co mmunity of Northern California. Born in Sicily of American and Italian heritage, he immigrated to the U S and s pent his formative years in the Bay Area. Now, as an alumnus of the Bocconi M BA program, he has been given the reins of the S an Francisco alumni chapter. L'Italo-Americano recently interviewed BAA San Francisco Chapter P res ident, P ietro Bonanno, to learn more about the university, the alumni asso- ciation and Pietro himself. Where do you get the drive an d en ergy to man age th e Boccon i grou p in S an Francisco? "My passion for all things Italian s tarted in College. Although I was born in Italy, w hen I w as nine my family moved to the Bay Area and we were prohibited to speak Italian in order to assimilate as quickly as possible. And so the story goes that on my first day of col- lege at a premier institution in New England, I couldn't have been more Californian; flip- flops, hemp necklace and the word "hella" present in each sentence that came out of my mouth. I was blessed to find the right people that reintroduced me to our great heritage, unpar- alleled culture and beautiful lan- guage. If one stops to think how much talent and innovation through history has originated from such a small country, it is difficult to conceptualize. We should all be proud to be part of this community. "Since graduating from col- lege, I have tried to be as active as pos s ible in the Italian American community. Getting my M BA from Bocconi w as truly a no-brainer. The school CATHERINE ACCARDI A Conversation with Pietro Jonathan Bonanno, President of the Bocconi University Alumni Association San Francisco Chapter prepared me for today's ultra- competitive business landscape and opened up many doors for me. For this I am dedicated to giving back at any opportunity I have. Seeing the alumni group become what it is today has been very rewarding and I couldn't have done it without the execu- tive team (Diletta D'Onofrio, Francesco Rovetta, Massimo A rrigoni and S tefano Abbasciano). The help of San Francisco Italian Consul General Lorenzo Ortona has been vital to our success. It is rare to find a diplomatic mission this welcom- ing and open to supporting us." Describe the importance of Milan's Bocconi University as it relates to present day Italian in the US. "The US has always been a strategic market for Bocconi which has activated numerous consolidated relationships with leading US universities. Today, over 50 American universities have agreements and partner- ships with Bocconi. US students repres ent one of the larges t groups within the Bocconi stu- dent body and this number con- tinues to grow." What inspired the forma- tion of the San Francisco alum- n i ch ap ter? Wh at are th e organization's goals and objec- tives? "The importance of the Bay Area on a global scale is reflect- ed by former P rime M ins ter Renzi's visit first to the Bay Area, then to Washington DC during his 2015 tour. A fter returning to San Francisco in 2015 (from a five year entrepre- neurial project in Padua, Italy) I was able to find the right people to create an alumni group capa- ble of matching the activities and successes of well-established alumni groups representing the "top 5" schools in the US. There was no question for me, at any point in time, that a strong alum- ni chapter needed to exist in the technology hub of the world." Bocconi Alumni make up a substantial share of the leading talent in the Bay Area between the tech, legal and financial indus tries . The goals of the group are to provide alumni the best networking opportunities to further develop their careers and also give back to the community which has welcomed them so generously. Tell us about the broader aspects and specific ongoing projects/events. "We try to divide our activi- ties in three categories. The first is providing high-level events with renowned speakers in vari- ous fields from technology, finance, academia, politics etc. Another category is to have joint events w ith leading s chools whether they are sporting events like sailing, wine tasting, bowl- ing competitions as well as con- ferences hosting world class guests. Lastly, we provide sup- port in career guidance and placement for the alumni in our group. The bottom line is for us to have fun while forging life- long professional and social rela- tionships. On a typical week we can host a SVP from one of Silicon Valley's giants and a few days later have a gelato tasting panel for one alumni whom has initiat- ed the "first gelato start-up" in California. "On a national level, Bocconi is consolidating the relationships between the other chapters; Los Angeles (newest group to be formed), Chicago, M iami, Washington DC, New York City, and Boston. Anyone interested in know ing more about the U S chapters and the school can visit https://www.bocconialumni.it/en/ home/index.html." There seems to be a connec- tion between the contributions of th e n ew gen eration of emerging Italian-American lead ers an d th e on goin g "Italian cultural Spring" in the Bay Area. What is Bocconi A lu mn i's role in th is mar- velous and welcomed phenom- enon? "Our mission is to be one of society's main positive forces that mobilizes the best of those that professionally and culturally developed within the Bocconi w orld. The Bocconi A lumni Association aims to create a community of alumni which con- tributes (through projects , exchanges , philanthropy) to enriching not only the school but overall the society in which we live. Part of the "Italian Cultural Spring" can be seen through the s chool's grow ing Italian- American student body who long for the "home country" which shaped their ancestors. The goal of this group is to return home to the U S , once their academic experience terminates in Milan, and contribute to their local eco- nomic and social communities in a passionate manner. We are especially thankful to our Consul General of Italy in San Francisco, Lorenzo Ortona, for his openness to supporting our initiatives." San Francisco Italian Consul General, Lorenzo Ortona & Bocconi University SF Alumni Chapter President, Pietro Bonanno. Photo courtesy of Pietro Bonanno Italian Community Services provid Bay Area Italian-American seniors and famili with trusted rourc to help them live healthy, independent and productive liv. We are commied to honoring and prerving the Italian language and culture, with an emphasis on the strength and suort that com om family, community, education and goodwill. Casa Coloniale John F. Fugazi 678 Green Street San Francisco, CA 94133 415 •362 •6423 www.italiancs.com . . • Translation for seniors /new immigrants • Community service coordination • Information and referrals

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