I feel like the hometown girl has won Miss America! I have never lived in Kenosha, but I consider it a home for my heart – my mom grew up there, along with her five sisters, two brothers and large Irish-Italian extended family. My grandparents and most of my aunts, uncles and cousins still call it home.
My grandfather’s father immigrated there from Italy, along with a lot of fellow Italians from Cosenza. He married a French – Canadian gal whose family had immigrated from Quebec. He worked in a mattress factory and never learned how to read or write in English, but after he retired, he spent his time biking around the city bringing flowers and visiting with people in the local hospitals. His son, my grandpa has followed his example and has always been very involved in making the city of Kenosha a wonderful place to live through his hard work, and involvement in numerous civic groups. And he always had time to joke with us when we came to visit.
My grandmother, too has spent her life making Kenosha a wonderful place by teaching preschool for years, and always having a welcoming, spotless home with scrumptious spaghetti and meatballs. And don’t forget the Knox blocks waiting for us when were kids. I am so proud of my grandparents, if you can’t tell. So Kenosha will always be one of my hometowns!
Never mind that I have always lived in Minnesota.
"Most Likely to Succeed" 