This is a story, a collection of my memories, of my life. After leaving Italy at the age of 14, I went on to live a new life in America, putting the old world behind me, but still ingrained in everything I do. I went on to raise my three kids with values rooted in hard work, education, and family, and passed down the language, culture, and traditions of my homeland. My experiences as an immigrant defined me in everything I did. My love for this country was immediate, and I learned to be a good American, but I will always identify as an immigrant. This story speaks to the common immigrant experience — the courage, hard work, and sacrifice that is endured in hopes of providing a better life for your family and future generations. Always having valued education and dreaming about a college diploma, I finally fulfilled my goals at the age of 81. This knowledge empowered me to write my story. I wanted to leave my children and grandchildren a legacy to know how I lived my life and to understand their family history.

My name is Nicoletta D'Avanzo Sorice. My father, Giuseppe D'Avanzo, left our family behind in Italy and came to America in January 1937, right after my birth. I dreamed daily about joining him, not knowing if this could ever become a reality. I was three years old when World War II broke out in Italy in 1939. In 1949, my mother and brother left for America, and I had to remain behind due to my being underweight. Eight months later, my U.S. Visa was finally approved. I sailed alone on the passenger ship S.S. Saturnia from Napoli to New York. I took my first airplane ride from the Fiorello La Guardia Airport in Queens, New York, to Atlanta, Georgia. I finally boarded another flight to Shreveport, Louisiana, to rejoin my family and meet my father for the first time. The excitement of all the new and unexpected things I experienced at the time, did not allow me to think, feel, or imagine what my life could be like in the United States.

At age 81, I graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Linguistics – Italian from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. Education gave me a space to learn. It enabled me to tell my story. Many events in my past had been submerged deep into my subconscious, and now they are recalled. I wanted to leave my children and grandchildren a legacy of understanding their family history and knowing how I lived my life. Writing this book has been a labor of love, and it has taken nearly five years for me to put these memories down. My 2023 resolution was to finish this project, and I am happy to see it published before the end of my life.