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A Way to the Stars
Vincent Cuccia
is the First recipient of the IAM'S Graduate Fellowship provided
by NAIF
By Dwayne Saunders
It’s a long time since Italian Americans held one of the worst
records for attending college and graduate school thanks in no
small part to the efforts of The National Italian American
Foundation (NIAF) and the John D. Calandra Italian American
Institute, Queens College/CUNY.
In the beginning of this year, NIAF provided the Italian
American Museum, an affiliate of the Calandra Institute, with a
grant to support an Italian American graduate student at Queens
College at CUNY. Congressman Frank Guarini, Chairman of NIAF,
explained it was to, afford the opportunity to young talented
people who are looking for an education.
The first recipient of the Italian American Museum’s Graduate
Fellowship is Vincent P. Cuccia who is earning his MA in
Creative Writing.
Mr. Cuccia, half Sicilian and half Neapolitan, was born in the
Bronx but raised in Wappingers Falls, New York. At a young age
he was diagnosed with a visual impairment that could not be
corrected. His parents were firm believers in education, though,
and insisted he go to college. Consequently, Mr. Cuccia went on
to graduate from Hunter College with a BA in Creative Writing.
Although Mr. Cuccia always wanted to be a writer, he got stuck.
I was afraid to write and publish, because the writing classes I
was in were more destructive than constructive. I also had no
opportunities to write. It wasn’t until he started working for
the Italian American Museum that he got his chance to write.
Three years ago, he started facilitating an Italian American
writers group at the Museum, The Calandra Writers Workshop. That
group is like a family. We bring food and eat and drink while
going over each other’s work. The atmosphere is so supportive I
found myself wanting to write again. And after years of silence,
he looks forward to his first publication.
In 2003 Dr. Joseph V. Scelsa, the president of the Museum, asked
Mr. Cuccia to write articles for the American Italian Review. I
told Dr. Scelsa that I was looking for more opportunities to
write, and he took me seriously. He liked the work so much that
he promoted Mr. Cuccia to Managing Editor. I have learned so
much about myself and my community from working on this paper.
It is the most interesting job I have ever had.
A&I is a quarterly newspaper that covers news items about Italy,
The City University of New York, and Italian Americans. It
premiered two years ago as one of the many efforts by the
Italian American Museum to preserve and promote Italian
Americana.
Around this time, Mr. Cuccia considered going back to school for
a masters but decided against it for financial reasons. Dr.
Scelsa seemed disappointed that I was not going back to school.
I felt bad, but I didn’t know what to do. Then Dr. Scelsa told
Mr. Cuccia to apply for the Graduate Fellowship and he won.
I am honored to be the first recipient of this fellowship, said
Mr. Cuccia. The Museum and NIAF set a precedent by choosing a
visually impaired creative writer candidate. Their trust and
support is empowering.
By financially supporting higher education, NIAF and the Museum
are encouraging and empowering Italian Americans to achieve
more. As Congressman Frank Guarini said, The idea of America as
a place where you can reach for the stars is only possible
through education.
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