First Generation American interview with Lucas Fuksa

Interview with Lucas Fuksa, founding partner of Fuksa Khorshid, LLC and president of PAL-PAC

By: Ania Jablonowski

 

Lucas Fuksa, founding partner of Fuksa Khorshid, LLC and president of PAL-PAC

Were you born in the US or Poland?

I was born in Sanok, Poland and came to the US when I was four and a half years old. My father is originally from Kraków. First we moved to Austria as refugees for over a year, I was three years old when we left Poland.  Living in Austria includes some of my earliest memories. I can picture the hotel that we stayed at near a farm. I remember how much it snowed, and playing in the snow with my older brother. We celebrated Christmas there, which was actually pretty terrifying for me and my brother. We have a photo with a scary looking Santa, he had a tall hat with a cross, and was followed by these little men dressed up as furry animals with large teeth and horns on their heads. They each carried a large stick. I’m sure there is a fable that goes with it, but we were too young to understand. We didn’t have any family in Austria, it was a temporary stop to get you over to America.

 

How and why did your family come to the US?

My father despised living in Communism. Living through it shaped his political views today. He cherishes freedom, capitalism, and democracy. This greatly influenced me too. We came back to visit Poland for the first time in 1989. I can still recall it. The stores had empty shelves, my Babcia would stand in line for bread at 4am and there were only small rations. It was a completely different world from what we had in America. We never saw any brand names or choices of items. There was no capitalism, no competition. As a child, I distinctly remembered that nothing had colored packaging; it was a government grocery store.

When we moved to the US, my dad’s distant cousin Henry lived in Park Ridge, IL and we moved into his basement. He was our only contact in Chicago. Henry’s family didn’t even speak Polish, so our family started to learn English right away. After a few months, we moved to an apartment that Henry owned by Central and Foster Avenue in Chicago.

 

How would you compare your childhood to your peers’ experiences growing up?

My American friends had a different attitude about certain things. They didn’t understand what it meant to be wasteful. After seeing what was happening in Poland in 1989, I was very aware of differences in America. I had a hard time stepping away from my dinner plate unless I ate all my food, I hated being wasteful. Even with my lunch – I remember when my mom packed me sardines for lunch and some American friends were grossed  out and dared me to eat them. Someone said they would give me $5 if I ate the whole can, and I said “of course I am going to eat it – that’s my lunch!” Needless to say, that was the easiest $5 I ever made.

I never really had an accent growing up. It feels like I started speaking English within a few days of moving to the US. But I did feel a bit embarrassed speaking Polish to my parents in the grocery store and public places when I was younger. I would always keep my voice down. Looking back, it was silly. My parents would hassle me and say I should be proud that I could speak Polish. Of course now I appreciate it.

My brother and I entertained ourselves by playing outside a lot. Since our parents couldn’t afford the same toys that our American friends had, we would ride our bikes in empty parking lots and make forts out of cardboard boxes.

More so than my experience being different from my American peers, I would say my father’s experience was very different from my friends’ parents. In Poland, my dad was an educated engineer. After moving here, he couldn’t find a job as an immigrant, so he sold sandwiches. He woke up at 3am, got to work at 4am, and he would bring his food truck to wherever construction workers were, selling sandwiches and coffee. During this time, he was also constantly applying for engineering positions. He was discriminated against by being Polish, people would call him names, but he never thought much of it. He just thought, “that’s life, brush it off and move on.” He ended up landing an engineering position in Wisconsin. We stayed out there during kindergarten through the beginning of third grade.

 

What brought you back to Chicago after Wisconsin?

My mother wanted to come back. By then, all her friends from Poland started moving to Chicago too, and she missed being around them. It was great, because all of a sudden we got all these “aunts and uncles,” like all Polish families do. You’re not related, and you don’t realize until you’re older that they are actually your mom’s friends – but you still call them “Ciocia and Wujek” as an adult.

For my brother and I, it was coming back totally fresh. We didn’t know anyone. The other kids knew we were Polish. They would hear me speak Polish to my parents – that was strange for them. There wasn’t a single kid at our school that was Polish, outside of my brother and I. We were also seen as even more different because we were technically from Wisconsin. We made friends pretty quickly and didn’t find it difficult to assimilate. I considered myself an American. I didn’t really have a lot of Polish friends growing up, because at that time, there wasn’t a big Polish community where we lived.

 

Did you attend Polish school?

We didn’t start Polish school until I was in fifth or sixth grade. My brother actually attended with me, in the same class. Mind you, he is three years older and was in junior high already. Neither of us felt like we belonged; it felt like everyone there already knew each other. A few times, we actually waited until our parents left and walked down the street to go to Sportsmart. We got away with it until one day the teacher said something to our parents about being absent. We really didn’t make any friends in Polish school to the point of hanging outside of class. Eighth grade was our last year. I regret not being there longer though. It would have been a good opportunity to better my grammar and writing.

 

How were you perceived by Poles when you would go back to visit Poland?

My brother and I stood out as Americans when we would travel. We looked American with our Air Jordans, Bulls gears, and skateboards. I don’t even think anyone had a skateboard where we were at, and we would just ride down the streets with people staring at us.

 

How did you get involved with Polish organizations?

It wasn’t until after I graduated law school that I really started becoming involved in Polish organizations. Since my parents mostly found their community between friends, family, and church, they didn’t participate in the Chamber, etc.

I started working at a successful law firm in McHenry county. It was a great experience, and I was able to dabble in different areas of law. We had a few Polish clients, since Algonquin had many Polish residents. Though my “professional Polish” wasn’t perfect, I began communicating on a business and legal level. That helped a lot. I became involved with the Polish community in about 2006 when I was 28 years old and moved back to the city to start my practice with a partner. As someone new starting a law firm, I thought it would be great to get some Polish speaking clients and directed my efforts to that market. I also wanted a deeper involvement in the community beyond the firm.

One day, my brother’s wife wanted to introduce me to Stan Nowak, who was the President of a Polish business chamber. Stan’s chamber joined the Polish-American Chamber of Commerce, where I met Henry Kazmierczak, the President of PACC at the time. Both Stan and Henry became my mentors. One thing that I feel I had an advantage with in my career was the opportunity to learn so much from successful people that took me under their wings. My father didn’t have that when he came here – he just had to figure it out on his own. When Henry’s term as President ended, he suggested that I give it a try. He liked the fact that I was a young, Polish attorney with my own business. I was honored to take on the position. As President, I wanted to change the dynamic a bit by integrating more American businesses into the Chamber. I also focused on strengthening our relationship with Poland and not just targeting businesses in the Chicago area. This led to a lot of international initiatives among the PACC and various Polish businesses and agencies that aimed at exploiting business opportunities here and in Poland.

Networking with Poles in the Chicago community led me to meet connect with Poland in a great way. I met with the [former] Minister of Foreign Affairs, Radosław Sikorski, Polish delegates, leaders, prominent officials. It really sparked my interest in politics. There was a lacking political representation in the Polish-American community.

In 2013, I joined Arie Zweig’s efforts in creating an organization for our voices to be heard. The Polish-American Leadership Political Action Committee (PAL-PAC) was formed for the purpose of addressing social, civic, and business interests of the Polish-American community in the United States. Three general initiatives are utilized to accomplish this goal: education, issue advocacy, and representation. Together, we are able to show politicians that Poles have a strong voting block.

 

Do you have any advice for today’s young Polish-American business professionals?

Get involved in the Polish-American community as much as you can.There are a lot of great Polish organizations here in Chicago that can help you connect with your Polish roots. If you are looking for a job, looking for friends, or wanting to expand your business, don’t forget that you can find a lot of solutions through the Polish-American community. As Polish-Americans, we have to realize that we have a lot of potential as a result of the strong principles we share, but we can only succeed and make an impact if we support each other and work together.

First Generation American Interview with Nicolette Pajda: Cultivating Cultural Curiosity

By: Ania Jablonowski
Published August 30, 2014

As an ambitious entrepreneur, Nicolette Pajda is proud to connect with international clients through her Polish American background.  She believes that having been born in the US to Polish parents, she is able to relate to different cultures and feels more worldly. “It makes me well-rounded. I developed a cultural curiosity for languages, traditions, and travel,” shares Nicolette.

Nicolette Pajda is a first generation American of Polish descent

Her father’s hometown is Rzeszów, the capital of the Sub Carpathian region located in the south eastern part of Poland. Located on the banks of the river Wisłok, it is a beautiful city that is rich in historical monuments and interesting buildings to explore. “There is a town square which happens to have a lot of international performances and concerts. One of my favorite monuments is the Castle of the Lubomirski. Rzeszów is also a modern city. There is a small but modern airport, many large world shopping centers, swimming pools and sports halls. It is a wonderful city,” Nicolette recalls.

“My mom was 11 when she came to the US with my grandmother. Our family had established businesses in Poland, including restaurants, but everything was repressed. They came here for a better life and opportunities,” says Nicolette.

Her mother’s hometown Bielsko Biała is a picturesque town located at the foot of Beskidu-Małego. “There are many such towns surrounded by greenery around the mountains, and many monuments. While it is not a big city, it has some 700 years of rich historical and cultural events. The city has a very good geographic location, with beautiful scenery and clean air. The views are indescribable. Bielsko Biała is beautifully situated. Within ten minutes, you’re out of town, where you can peacefully rest and live,” she describes.

Nicolette Pajda pictured with her Mother (left) and brother Aron (center)

Nicolette’s parents met in the States when her father was visiting family at the age of 21. They fell in love and soon married.

With English as her second language, learning Polish first gave Nicolette a chance to truly absorb the culture. “Our family spoke Polish at home, and I started to integrate English in grammar school. I don’t remember the transition, I feel like I had no problems because there was such a mixture of Polish and English in my life. On Saturdays my younger brother Aron and I went to Polish school at St. John Brebeuf in Niles. Our parents had us attend through high school. They really pushed for us to keep the language.”

Since Nicolette’s mom came to the US at came at such a young age, Mrs. Pajda’s English was perfect when Nicolette and her brother were born. Mrs. Pajda graduated from the University of Illinois at Chicago with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, and even began a Master’s program. Both Nicolette and Aron also completed their undergrad at UIC. Funny enough, Nicolette and her mother even had the same professor for a Polish cultural class. “During UIC, I took a few extracurricular courses to help me explore our culture, including cinema and literature,” says Nicolette. Like her mother, she also pursued her Master’s degree and completed her graduate program with honors at DePaul University with a focus on New Media Studies. Education has always been a very important aspect of the Pajda family for many generations.

Nicolette was raised with a deep sense of appreciation for her family’s background. One of her most fond experiences includes participating in folklore dance groups for eight years. “It was really great to get in touch with our culture, being immersed in the music, wearing the costumes, singing traditional songs. We often met up with other local groups and performed together at big events. I also played classical music on the piano. I loved playing Chopin.”

Nicolette Pajda dressed up in a traditional Polish Folklore Dance Costume

Being part of Polish dance groups allowed Nicolette to embrace trips to the Motherland. She visited her mom’s hometown for the first time when she was six years old, and traveled around the country with her family, exploring Gdańsk, Warszawa, Zakopane, and Kraków. “I remember the people in Kraków being very warmhearted and welcoming. It was a bit of a melting pot, with all the different parts of Poland coming together. There were so many tourists that visited the city, it had the hometown feeling like Chicago.” The family would visit Poland on an annual basis.

Nicolette also had the honor to meet former Polish President Lech Wałęsa on a trip to Gdańsk through Polish school. Since then, there were numerous occasions where Nicolette was in his presence at many gatherings in the US.

Another memorable trip was seeing the beloved Pope John Paul II at the World Youth Day in Canada when she was sixteen years old. “He was the greatest Pole of our time. We sat so close to the stage, and spent three days praying and talking on the lawn. The trip was amazing,” she shares.

When asked if she felt more Polish or more American when traveling, Nicolette explains, “Naturally I say I am Polish, born in America. When I am traveling, I say American-Polish. I mention both, but more so that I am American. I’ll usually discuss my upbringing.”

Nicolette Padja & Former Polish President Lech Wałęsa

At home, the Pajda family tends to keep a balance of Polish and American norms. The holidays include celebrating both Wigilia and Christmas Day, each with their respective traditions. “For Christmas Eve, we have twelve meatless dishes, we place hay underneath the tablecloth, and we set an extra setting for any unexpected guests. On Christmas Day, we open gifts with our immediate family – like American families do, and on Eve we open gifts with our cousins.”

Nicolette also loved celebrating one of the silliest Polish traditions, Śmigus-Dyngus. Her father still likes to carry on the rite of passage and splash water on her and Aron. Back in the Polish school days, they regularly marched in the 3go Maja parade.

One of her favorite activities is supporting her Aunt Beata Pilch’s avant-garde theatre, Trap Door, located in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. “For the last twenty years, she has been an ambassador of Polish culture in the US. My Aunt has directed numerous plays by world-renowned performers and writers,” says Nicolette.

The Pajda family has been actively involved with many Polish American organizations including Polish National Alliance, Polish American Congress, and Women’s Auxiliary Club. These past two years, the family has attended the International Polonaise Ball, organized by the American Institute of Polish Culture. Nicolette marveled at the extravagant affair. “This year they incorporated Argentina, and it was amazing to see both cultures clash with the folk dances and costumes, while feeling a sense of unity. There were influential people from all around the world.”

It was easy for Nicolette to relate to the Argentinian culture, and she was also able to understand some of the language. Having studied Spanish for years, and more recently learning Portuguese, she has a knack for picking up new languages. Next on her list is Mandarin.

Nicolette mentions, “When I have children one day, I would love for them to learn as many languages as they can. I would definitely want to pass on our traditions and send them to Polish school. It has always been and will always be important to my family. I am very proud to be Polish.”

Nicolette Pajda with Nervana Group’s Dubai Bus Trip

Of course, another necessary element to keep in the family is the art of cooking. Nicolette’s mother and grandmother opened several restaurants together in Chicago, featuring mostly Polish cuisine. Naturally, many delicious meals were cooked at home and often times the chefs’ creations would also make their way home with Mrs. Pajda. Given that their family traveled quite a bit, the family would mix in French, German, and other international palates to the menus. “I love all Polish food, but zupa ogórkowa is my favorite!”

Nicolette plans to learn her mother’s recipes and pass down the culinary creations for generations to come.

First Generation American Project “Drinks and Dialogue” with Alex Filin

Remember when you were a child and your parents would tell you that you are going on vacation? Think of all the excitement and thoughts of adventure that filled your head, how your imagination would run wild with expectations of fun and new discoveries. Now, imagine that you arrive to your destination with your family, and they let you know it is actually a permanent vacation, across the ocean and thousands of miles away from your home. Surprise, you’ve moved!

This is exactly what first generation American Alex Filin experienced at the age of six. Though he didn’t have a chance to say goodbye to his friends, Alex adapted to his new home and started a new life as a first generation American.

First Generation American Alex Filin

He shares, “I’m originally born in Riga Latvia in late 1983. At that time it was a Soviet Union country, that’s Russia.” His family immigrated to the US on March 8, 1990. “I remember it like yesterday, my dad had one family friend, we had no family here, and he owned a condo on Division & Dearborn in downtown Chicago. It was a very nice place. My parents were celebrating and I was in the corner crying my eyes out, and just not knowing what’s going on. Just shocked, thinking ‘What’s going on?’ It was a culture shock, big time.”

Alex’s family came to the States in search of a better life for their family. “At that time in the late 80’s, early 90’s, it was the fall of Communist Russia Soviet Union, so it wasn’t too pretty. Where I was born in Latvia, it used to be its own country, and Soviet Union came and overtook it. My parents went through some rough times; apartment got robbed, there were minor wars going on. Just not a safe place. My father and mother just wanted a better future. They were still young, my dad was 29 at that time, my mom was 26. I was six years old. They were still young, wanting a better future, but more importantly, they wanted a better future for me, which was amazing.”

The Filins lived with their family friend in the Chicago Gold Coast for three months to get their start, and then moved again to the northwest side of the city. “There was a Jewish-Israel kind of network where they house you in their apartment. I think it was in the area of California & Devon which, once in a while, I still like to drive by and my memories go back. We lived there for about a year, and then we moved to Skokie, where my parents live now.”

He recalls learning English in his early years. “What helped with my English was definitely the ESL program where I went to school.” Alex notes that he didn’t like having to be separated from his classmates during the school day when he had to attend his ESL courses because he didn’t want to feel different, but he knew it was important. He continues, “A lot of people make fun of this, and I make fun of it now too, but I literally used Hooked on Phonics. But I think the main reason behind what helped my English is just being around American kids.” Alex also attended a Russian-Jewish Sunday school to preserve his culture.

Alex remembers some of the difficulties in picking up the English language and fitting in. “I still had an accent at that time. A lot of kids made fun of me. I forget how ruthless they were. There is no filter with kids. They don’t really know any better besides to say what they’re feeling. My parents did a very good when would I go back and cried or complained, or told them about my experience. They would say, ‘Don’t listen to them. Don’t worry about them, they’re mean. Don’t be like that. Don’t make fun of people.’”

We laughed at how growing up with accents enabled us to perfect accents as adults, and how we lovingly use them now when recapping something that our own parents say. He says, “I like to make little jokes with my parents, and then my mom comes back and tells me a hard Russian word to say and I can’t say it, so she makes fun of me.”

Growing up playing sports with his father, athletics gave Alex a chance to shine. “When I was in Russia, from I what remember, at age four, five, six years old, I played a lot of tennis and soccer, which were two popular sports in Russia. Then, when I came to the US and moved to Skokie, and there was recess, we played sports, mainly soccer. I definitely think I earned the respect of other kids. They were just like, ‘Oh wow, you’re good!’  I was recently talking to a friend that lives in San Francisco now. He’s an avid soccer player, but he’s deaf as well. We were having a conversation how soccer is a universal language of just hand signals, just understanding the game.”

With language being a barrier in the beginning, and the necessity to put food on the table, both my mom and Alex’s mom cleaned houses. He says, “I remember a couple of downtown Chicago high-rises, but it was more of the suburbs and huge mansions. I went there from a two-bedroom apartment to this huge mansion just looking around, thinking ‘Oh my God,’ running, playing in the yard, going in the swimming pool. At that time my mom is cleaning the house while I’m having fun. As I got older, that’s when I started realizing, I’ve seen these houses, what did they do to get there? And why are my parents here? Why are they in this situation? Looking back at it now, it all comes together. It makes all more sense.” He recognizes his parents’ struggle and the sacrifice they made to come to America and pursue a better life.

During college, Alex’s parents let him know about another surprise. “I was the only child for the majority of my life. When I played football in college, my parents came and I was a senior, starting football season. They’d come to every game, and one time they said, ‘We have an early graduation gift for you. We’re pregnant.’ It was definitely a shock, but it was excitement too. So ironically, my brother was born on the exact day I took my last final in college, so it’s pretty cool.”

Being over two decades apart, the first generation American experience is a little different between Alex and his little brother, but the family continues to preserve the culture. Alex says, “My parents taught Russian first, which I think is very key, so my brother does speak fluent Russian, and I speak with him as much as I can. He looks like an American little boy. I want to show him our culture, our roots. Where we come from. Never forget. For myself, I’m very proud. I consider myself an American-Russian, not a Russian-American, but I never forget where I’m from. For me to pass on my stories with him, for my parents to pass on stories, I think, is very key.” Alex’s brother is now seven years old.

These days, Alex works as a partner at New York Life Insurance. He says his experience as a first generation American helps him relate to his clients and team. “My job is to recruit individuals into our business, so I always share my story with whomever I am interviewing. Personally, a lot of people have told me that I truly have a cool story to share. It took me a while to realize this. Most people that look at me, I’d say only one out of ten people could really figure out that I was born somewhere else, that English was not my first language. Part of my story, part of why I work so hard now goes back to the way I was raised. So, it’s not more specifically the Russian part of it, it’s more my background, what I went through, that has helped me with my business today.”

First Generation American Project “Drinks and Dialogue” with Corinne Meier

Corinne Meier

God works in wonderful ways. As some of our readers may know, I am a Director for a networking group that gives back to the community, known as Connect.Inspire.Grow. Each month, our group meets up at St. John Brebeuf Church in Niles for a packing party to assemble lunches for the homeless on behalf of St. Vincent DePaul’s aggregate food drive. Many parishioners know this as “Uncle Pete’s Food Drive” in loving memory of Pete Zonsius.

At a recent food drive, I randomly stationed myself at the brown bag table, along with Corinne Meier, one of our regular volunteers. Corinne and I had met a few times and exchanged some general conversations, but this was this first time that we were able to truly connect on a deeper level. I think this conversation was meant to be.

Corinne asked me about First Generation American Project and what it meant to be “FGA.” To her pleasant surprise, she is part of our demographic and immediately began sharing memories of growing up first generation as a Swiss-American. I asked her to join our “Drinks and Dialogue” interview; here is her story.

“I was born in Switzerland and only lived there for three months. My entire family and lineages are from there, so there’s only one American-born member in our family and that would be my brother,” says Corinne. Her parents both worked at a car rental company, which is where they met. “My grandfather worked in the airline business, so my mom was able to get cheap flights and would never spend money on anything other than travel, so she managed to travel to China, Japan, Thailand – everywhere in the world – so she didn’t necessarily spend her whole life in Switzerland.”

Corinne’s father had a business concept that he wanted to launch, which her mom supported as she was not partial to the weather in Switzerland. “Life there is great. It’s a wonderful country, one of the most beautiful countries in the world. But the weather is very tricky. It can be like Chicago, just long-winded winters where you don’t see sunshine for days. The clouds get caught between the mountains, so there can be really horrible weather conditions and I think that my parents just wanted to try something new.”

Her parents packed up their belongings and moved to the States. “My father rented sold and leased used station wagons, vans, motor homes, any kind of car for traveling and sightseeing. The kind that you could go camping in, where you could see the entire United States.” She continues, “From the European perspective when you visit the US, you want to see the entire country. They have the train system [in Europe] so he thought of his business in the way that these customers would want to see the US, in its entirety for three months up to a year. The economy was so strong in Switzerland in the ‘80s and ‘90s that people were able to afford it, and so it really worked out very well. He did it for 18 years, and it was based out of Miami, and then of course he built a hub in New York, Washington, and California.”
It was this experience that exposed Corinne to the entire landscape of the US, from a Swiss-American perspective. She says, “It was one of the most beautiful ways to see the United States.”

After her parents closed the business, they separated shortly thereafter and Corinne’s mother moved to Chicago, while her father went back to Switzerland. “My mom came here for the natural healing role because it is very progressive in Chicago. It is more Green, more open energy healing and alternative medicine, so she became a massage therapist in Miami before she moved to Chicago. Her whole intention was to build her natural healing business. She works with children with ADD and cancer patients.”

Throughout Corinne’s childhood and adolescence, both parents managed to instill the Swiss culture in her upbringing. “Many summers, we would go to Switzerland. It was like Swiss camp, and it was great because you get to practice your language. And get in touch with your family again,” she says.

She remembers how she only had immediate family in the US for holidays. “We had an adopted family, there’s this huge Italian family in Miami that would bring us in every Thanksgiving and Easter. We built our own nuclear sort of environment here. The only holidays we would really celebrate with our own family was either Christmas or Swiss Independence Day.”

While visiting family in Switzerland, Corinne recalls, “It’s amazing, you get there, you land, and everybody knows. You’ve got to see everybody, you have to eat. And you get full! You have breakfast at someone’s house, then you go to go to someone else’s house for lunch. Then you go right after lunch to another person’s house. You’re just constantly full, and you’re like, ‘Can I take a nap for a second?!’”
Before my interview with Corinne, I honestly did not know too much about the country. One element of these interviews that I truly appreciate is the Cultural 101.

Corinne shares, “Switzerland as a country is divided into four predominant areas. The Romanian area is very small, so it’s actually Italian, French, German and this little Romanian sliver. The packaging on products is written in French, German and Italian, and that is a normal thing. When you’re driving, your ‘turn right’ sign is written in three different languages. There, you speak, read and write in German. In school you use German. When you talk to the teacher, you’re talking Swiss, but when you’re reading, you’re going to read German. It’s interesting that way. There is no official language. There’s Swiss as a language. There’s no written-out format of it. The dialect flexes depending on what part of the country you are in. It’s just like in the US, there is a different accent in the South versus New York; same thing in the German area of Switzerland. Language is big, and most people there speak two languages off the bat. I have had a luxury of learning Swiss through my parents.”

Corinne also attended a German program during what we first generation Americans refer to as “English school.” She says, “I would read poems and really there was a beauty to it, I mean really you cannot capture the same meaning in English language, it is not possible.”
Between traveling the US throughout her childhood and visiting Switzerland every year, Corinne has been influenced by her parents to make a difference in this world and tap into her entrepreneurial spirit. In addition to volunteering with Connect.Inspire.Grow, Corinne has started several notable businesses.

Corinne Meier is the CEO and Founder of MAX Inter D, I Love Being a Preneur, Hip-Hop Aerobics Chicago!, and A Little Deal. To connect with Corinne, visit http://www.hiphopaerobicschicago.com

First Generation American Project “Drinks and Dialogue” with Sonali Patel

Sonali Patel with her father and inspiration, Nick

Earlier this summer, I had the pleasure of meeting Sonali Patel, a young and ambitious entrepreneur with a strong educational background in IT. It’s no surprise that Sonali is such a go-getter before even entering her 20’s. During a charity event sponsored by First Generation American Project, Sonali’s father, Nick Patel, brought her over to our table and let us know that his beautiful daughter is in fact first generation American as well.

If you have ever driven down a local highway in Chicago, or any major street in the suburbs for that matter, you have without a doubt passed by one of Nick’s LA Tan locations. This iconic franchise is the product of Nick Patel’s motivation to create a better life for his family in the United States. Sonali, founder of Flirty Yoga, credits her ambition to her family’s story and notes that she has “big shoes to fill.”

She begins her first generation American story with her father’s experience. “My dad came from India with his older brother, at 16 while his older brother was 18. They worked at Dunkin Donuts and a news press company at first, and then after saving some money he opened his first video store. His competition right across the street had 3,000 videos while he only had 300, but he worked hard, long hours and finally saved enough money to open up 60 – 70 stores. I remember my dad told me about the name, VP Video, when he first came up with it. He wrote VP Video because of his grandfather, and he wrote a letter and mailed it to him, taking a picture of the video store behind, saying ‘This is named after you.’”

After several successful years in the video business, Nick realized that technology was changing and video stores were becoming obsolete. He changed his career path and entered the tanning business, creating the recognizable chain of LA Tan.

Sonali describes her father’s home country. “In India they lived in Gujarat, a state, and inside the state there are small cities, and there is a small village where they’re from. All the streets are cobble stone. When I go there, I like walking barefoot sometimes – it’s like home. Everyone knows each other in the whole village.”

Her father visited to India after paving his path in America. Sonali says, “He went back for his older brother’s wedding. Then my grandpa told him, ‘There is this girl, she is from a good family,’ and then they met and got married, because he had to listen to his dad. So he got married in 1981 and moved the family here.”

Sonali was born in the Chicagoland area and moved to the suburbs during her early years. “We spoke Gudrathi, which is our native language, and English was spoken when I went to preschool. As my sister went to preschool, she would come back home from school and would speak English, and I was learning from her. She was actually in ESL at first.”

The Patel family lived together with Sonali’s grandparents, which she emphasizes is why she is so fortunate to carry on a strong cultural background. “My grandparents had a big influence on me, growing up with them and still living with them right now, because we had to speak in Gudrathi with them. When we are young, my grandpa had us write five sentences in Gudrathi and then read five sentences to him, and then say our 40 prayers that we know.”

During grammar school, Sonali didn’t have many Indian friends, though she kept strong ties to her culture through her family. It wasn’t until her junior year of high school that she joined the Indo-Pac Club. She says, “It was traditional dancing. We had a show every year and we would perform Bollywood, fan-dancing, and skits wearing our Indian clothes. We would be showing our fashion.”

In addition to her interest in traditional Indian dancing, Sonali has had a lifelong experience in yoga and a healthy lifestyle. “My grandpa actually does yoga, I used to sit with him when I was younger and if I woke up early one day on a Saturday or Sunday, I’d just sit with him and do yoga. Now he’s 74 and walks four miles every day; there’s not a day he forgets, even if it’s raining he’ll take an umbrella, or if it’s snowing he’ll go no matter what. He is so healthy. He’s the reason we bring all organic food in the house, healthy eating. He’ll bring all these herbal, natural things from India. We’re so used to eating at home and mom and my grandma cook all the time. When I was younger they did not allow any outside foods. So if we wanted pizza, he’d say, ‘No, make it at home with wheat.’”

She continues, “That’s what we learned from him, the spiritual aspect of it and the healthy energy and the positive energy from healthy eating and working out. Doing yoga and then being all calm, and meditation – that’s what my dad always says, you have to be calm all the time.”

This positive influence from her grandfather, along with the “big shoes to fill” from her father’s business endeavors have inspired Sonali to start her own company, Flirty Yoga.

Flirty Yoga is a new brand of designer yoga pants that are made in the USA. Founded in December 2012, Sonali created the pants to fulfill her customer’s everyday passions, whether that be yoga, running, lifting, or even grocery shopping, and she quickly gained popularity within the athletic-wear market. Flirty Yoga aims to bridge comfort and beauty all the while maintaining the original focus: an athletic life that reaches beyond the gym. The line also features beautifully embellished designer art, and can be worn at any time of day for a flirty, chic look.

To purchase a pair of Flirty Yoga designer pants, visit http://www.flirtyyoga.com

First Generation American Project “Drinks and Dialogue” with Franklin Drob, Founder of Inside Smiles

Franklin Drob, Founder of Inside Smiles

One of the happiest, most sincere people I know has a very special gift of making people smile on the inside. Franklin Drob, founder of Inside Smiles, introduced himself to me at an event a few years ago and we had an instant connection. There was an incredible amount of warmth and goodness that radiated from him, and I could tell in his eyes that he was on a mission to spread the love in this world.

Franklin is a first generation American and he recently shared his story with us.

“The story is actually quite adventurous, and it begins January 1^st, 1984 in Chicago. That was actually an extra cold winter night that night, and I am a New Year’s baby, so I’ve had the fortune of celebrating with everybody over the last almost 30 years of New Year celebrations,” he starts off.

“It began there, but it comes from two Eastern European parents, both of which came to America with the dream of giving the next generation a better future. That’s what all parents seem to want to provide for their kids. I’m part of that whole dream and that whole vision of being able to have an American-born son, who also has the roots of tradition, values, and Eastern European ways of being, along with the mannerisms.”

Franklin grew up in Chicago, and he says he also has a first generation connection where he still experiences a lot of the lifestyle from Russia or from Eastern Europe. He says describes it as “whichever culture that an individual comes from when their parents start to assimilate, their children have some cultural distinctions that come along with it.”

He remembers what it was like growing up first generation in Rogers Park, then moving to Highland Park. “It was actually quite the community feel. It’s that feeling of being in a neighborhood where there were people similar to you and there are traditions and values, and then in addition, what I’ve now reflected on back, same conversations translate. You’re overseas but then you’re in America and then in same conversations. There is that cultural bond that happened in Rogers Park, but then the neighborhood has changed, America has changed over the last several years. People have now grown and moved on, and it hasn’t been as much of a hub to the point where people moved to suburbs.”

At home, Franklin spoke Russian and English with his family. He says, “My dad was born in Russia. He came to America during the small period where there was an immigration movement, so he forgot Russian growing up because he had assimilated so much so that it was spoken. Kids sometimes can be resistant. They only want to speak English and fit in, and especially when the world was changing because of things going on overseas, so it was like that American value.”

“I was talking to my Dad the other day, and he grew up with John Wayne, watching John Wayne, the old Westerns, so that speaks to why he forgot Russian growing up. But because his parents were Russian, he then still had the community relationship in that a woman who was Russian, my mom, and then she spoke Russian to me. So my father would speak to me in English, and my mother and that side of the family kept up the Russian side.”

Franklin grew up having a strong relationship with his grandmother. He says, “My grandmother was a doctor, so it was like this patient /doctor relationship, with this kind of wisdom to her. There was a lot of respect in Russia for her work in neuropsychology and being able to help a lot of people in times of the warfront, and she get a lot of awards for her service there. She was a highly respected woman, so then when I was in her presence, it was like, ‘Look me in the eye.’ We speak Russian. ‘Sit up straight.’ I was always, like, ‘Whoa!’ If you look her in the eyes, there was no hiding anything.”

When asked about his first generation experience while transitioning into his adult years, he says, “I still see myself moving into my adult years, and I’m almost there now. I had learned to save more than many at a younger age just due to personal reflection and, I’ll say, at this point in my life, my connection to my own spirituality. I had personally decided, I recall stages at a younger age than many, to seek out questions of mysterious natures in terms of my purpose. I recall doing that at a very young age and having relationships and conversations, with a mysterious desire to learn more.”

He continues, “By the time I was in my teens, I had already attracted friends that were older, wild, and liked to have fun, and so because of that, I had gone through enough hardships. It’s unfortunate that in this day and age, in the land of opportunity and dreams where my family decided to come, there were even things going on that were upsetting the world that kids were passing up opportunities.”

This led to a change in Franklin’s life. “I had personally made the decision quietly to take my late teens and my college years as my very personal time of growth, and I went from deciding not to go to school to almost getting a full scholarship to DePaul within 16 months, and I had received seven academic awards and blown the deans and the principals away with just that year and half. I really realized that it goes by fast, so I had, with that effort, worked really hard to get a scholarship and worked hard. Once I got to college, it wasn’t about being social. It was about just knocking out the grades.”

Franklin had a unique college experience. He says, “I was given an opportunity to attend a campus that DePaul had tried to build up in Lake Forest from a college that they purchased called Barat. I was in Highland Park, so I lived right down the street. I had access to a beautiful small liberal arts experience where class sizes were eight, and I had professors that were just giving me all of this attention. I would take some of their classes to 400 level or as high as they can go. It was pretty good for an opportunity for a first generation college-trekked mind to take advantage of a really good university just down the street.”

“Then I started teaching yoga and meditation while I was in college in the first beginning part of my career. I was working at Deerfield Bakery, during the day hours, Swanson’s Flower Shop on the weekend hours, my brother-in-law’s real estate, RE/MAX at the time, during the week and weekday hours, and then was teaching yoga in between that while taking classes at college. My schedule was very full with entrepreneurial foundational skills.”

He explains, “That transition into me, actually then going into people’s either homes, working with families, individuals, or doing it at the club level or studio level teaching yoga while I was going to school, those skills, combined with the practice of what yoga gives and individual of just self-management and self-correction, when you’re having a bad day, you learn how to stretch and breathe… With my teacher’s mentorship, who had been a retired man of business himself, those skills taught me how to have some foundational skills that weren’t even tapping into my cultural side of what even brings us here to our generation connection. That was my story before my decision to connect with my generational roots.”

Franklin then decided to a monastery and learn how to teach and practice yoga. He was in his early 20’s and took a 35-day program that required morning meditation, evening meditation, and fasting. That was my summer, and then I came back, and I literally went from Lake Forest to downtown Chicago because the other DePaul campus had closed. I remember that day coming in from the monastery , it was like a whole other planet because people don’t run in a monastery. They don’t walk fast in a monastery. People’s connections to their world had changed. Information was starting to change faster. When I had really slowed down, things were starting to really pick up.”

Franklins shares that experience is how he reconnect with this Russian roots. “I didn’t have much of a social life at that point. I was quite introverted. Then because of my small atmosphere with my Lake Forest classes, I developed a desire to relate to my professors, so I became more relationship-connected to my professors than the student body. Because there was this lack of social connection in my life, I had desired and had thought to reach out to somebody who I once knew when I was very young who I had seen on some mind social things.”

Franklin reconnected with a friend who was an event planner in the Russian community and teamed up to host an event. “It was actually an event called Skate with Israel, where there was a lot of Russian-Jewish connection, there was a community of just people who were first generation. There was this Russian connection and the there was this Israeli and Jewish connection.” He felt this need to connect after his experience in the monastery. “ When I was very quiet in the monastery, there was a place to pray and a place to be where you could just have that intention. In that space there was every religion on the wall. Because of my family’s past, I wouldn’t disregard my Judaism. From there, I entered into my interest in Judaism. I felt like this is my family and my past, and when I was out in the sticks I would see something that reminded me of my family, that deeply in a prayerful situation.”

For a few years, Franklin led social events for the Russian and Eastern European communities. The social networking path ultimately led him to his current business, Inside Smiles. “To be brief, it came from the desire to see that there was a need in the American workforce for there to be solutions to help both young professionals and those who are already in the work force to learn how to stay more peaceful, calm, relaxed, focused energized and them be more productive through those initiatives.”

He continues, “Meanwhile, there’s been a growing interest in emotional intelligence; something that I became very interested at a very young age so that I co-authored a curriculum in social emotional learning with my mentor. From there, I have been working over the last seven years doing everything from trainings to taking individuals to climb mountains and from there also teach those who are leaders how to relax and stay calm either through private yoga sessions or through yoga emotional intelligent training. I’ve been doing all these things, piece-mailing them one at a time to find out more and more. I’ve grown really deep in the industry of everything from healthcare and well-being to what’s going to be happening in 2014.Two things about what do young professions like to do after work and how do they really like to have fun from being social to things that are well to what are some drinks that people enjoy that include kale and spinach.”

“From the lifestyle to the organizational, everything is about to be put together in my life’s worth of phase one called Inside Smiles which will be a directory website of all these solutions that an individual organization can find. Meanwhile, I’m finishing up my personal name brand site of FranklinDrob.com. For those who have already had fun with me or have seen some of the things that I’ve done, can find those personal solutions or those events that I’m a part of as an individual, and then Inside Smiles would be where the business side of things and the organizational solutions really come into play for people to live well and travel well and work well.”

To connect with Franklin Drob and learn more about Inside Smiles, visit http://www.insidesmiles.com

First Generation American “Drinks and Dialogue” Interview with Monika Rydzewki

A few years ago, I was following in my parents’ footsteps and left my home city to explore new opportunities. Before I departed Chicago and headed to Denver, my father told me, “Ania, mark my words, this is not the right move and you’ll be back home soon.” At the time, I was stubborn and insisted that since my parents left Poland and started a new life, I could do the same and survive just fine. After all, I had a college education and spoke English – I had nothing to lose.

Well, turns out, my dad was right. Within a few months of living in Denver, I found myself missing home and dreaming of Lake Michigan. It was painful to admit that I made a mistake, so I kept it inside and pretended like it was okay. I spent hours each day on Facebook, stalking the pages of friends back in Chicago and living vicariously through their posts. One person whose page I was particularly drawn to was Monika Rydzewski’s.

Monika Rydzewski, Founder of Connect.Inspire.Grow

Monika’s wall was full of inspirational quotes, happy photos, and encouraging words of advice. We were friends on social media for a while and had many mutual friends, but we never actually met in person. I was a total stranger to her. One day out of desperation, I private messaged her and spilled the beans. I told her how I took a chance by moving to the Mile High city, and that I did not feel like it was the right decision. It was embarrassing to tell my parents that I wanted to come home, and more than anything it was all because of a boy and I let my heart overrule my head. Her posts on Facebook were so positive, that even though I was so bummed, I was inspired by her optimistic outlook on life and wanted to thank her for giving me something to look forward to each day.

This message was kind of a shot in the dark, I had no idea whether she would even read my words or bother to write back. To my surprise, within 20 minutes, I had received a full page reply from her that brought me to tears. Monika wrote that she can totally relate to me, because not only was she freshly out of a long term relationship at the moment, but she also knew what it is like to leave home and start a new life in a new city. She said that no matter what, my family loves me and will understand, and most importantly, God loves me and will give me the strength and clarity to come back home. This was the moment that inspired me to return to Chicago.

Monika’s ability to connect, inspire, and help other people grow stems from very personal and trying experiences that she went through in her adolescence. I must say, it’s truly an honor to able to interview her for this project.

Through the age of 10, Monika lived in Grajewo, Poland and spent her summers on her grandmother’s farm in a small village. She recalls, “My Babcia had a big farm. I would get up in the morning, milk the cows, go get the eggs from the chickens. It was real life. I never realized how fortunate I was to be able to be in that environment.”

Monika Rydzewski on her Grandmother’s farm in Poland

In 1993, her family decided to move to the United States. While her parents came here to find work and provide for their family, Monika had her own aspirations. “I had an American dream, and that was to speak English. I remember going to my third grade class, and I was just looking at my teacher as she spoke very fast. I would just stare at her because I was so amazed how fast she spoke. I thought, ‘One day, I hope I could just speak as fast as she.’” Monika laughs as she recalls this dream from her childhood, “Be careful what you wish for, because nowadays I speak very fast and I can’t catch-up with myself.”

Coming from a town where the entire population was Polish, Monika experienced a bit of a culture shock when she came to the US. “We’ve seen people with different ethnicities on the antique television, but I have never seen anybody in person unless I went to Warsaw to pick up family at the airport or something.” Chicago was a diverse melting pot, a world away from the reality of the homogeneous cultural background in Poland.

She remembers feeling out of place and not fitting in. “I was the outcast. I didn’t speak English. I wasn’t the coolest kid, and I was like an ugly duckling. When I first came here, I hated it. I didn’t have any friends. I was made fun off. It was really hard for me to build that connection with other people.”

In fifth grade, Monika moved to the suburbs and began making new friends from all different ethnicities. “I remember meeting Nadia, an Indian girl. She was wearing glasses and she was very nice to me. I was trying so hard to have friends, I just wanted to fit in with her, so I told my mom that I couldn’t see the board from far away and she took me to the eye doctor. I pretty much lied on my eye exam and got glasses.” The experience of trying to be normal and fit in can be a common experience for most kids, but there is definitely something special about being first generation and having an additional pressure to blend in. Though, sometimes these comical attempts haunt us in the future. Monika continues, “Now my prescription is so bad, it’s minus 4.0 and I always need to wear my glasses or contacts.” We joke that she should visit with one of our previous interviewees, Dr. Joanna Slusky at Halsted Eye Boutique.

Monika attended Maine East High School in Park Ridge, which was known as one of the most diverse schools in Illinois. “There was an international table in the cafeteria,” she says, “I would always go sit with them. I was very naturally attracted to the group because I grew up in a diverse area when I moved to Chicago. That’s why I never judge anyone, because even though someone might look different, I want to have an open mind – you don’t know their story, you don’t know where they come from, so just give them the opportunity to be your friend and see what they are all about.”

She then shares a very personal situation that attests to her belief of not judging others and being open to accepting them.

“After living in the US for a few years, my parents went through a divorce. I remember coming home one day and my mom was so upset, she was a total mess. I asked her what’s wrong and she said we might be homeless because my dad was not paying child support. That crushed in my heart and I cried myself to sleep that night. I woke up the next day and started asking my older friends if they knew anyone that was hiring because I really wanted to help my mom.”

Within a few days, Monika was hired at Dunkin Donuts in Chicago. Even though she was 13 years old, she told the owner of the store that she was 14 to get the job.  Her mother was worried about Monika taking on too much work between school and her new job. She says, “I would take the bus every single day, working 40 hours each week. My school day started early in the morning, and right after my shift was from 3:30pm until 9:00pm. My mom would pick me afterwards, and she didn’t want me working, but my grades weren’t suffering so I kept going.”

Monika says that it was this experience that influenced her to start her organization, Connect.Inspire.Grow. “It’s these different moments that shape who you are. Some of the toughest times have made me who I am today because I am more compassionate. The reason why I help the homeless is because I never want to have anybody go through the same thing as a child, especially being hopeless. Little things that happen that leave you thinking, ‘Oh, why is this happening to me? This is the worst thing ever,’ can end up being the best thing.”

Connect.Inspire.Grow was founded by Monika in 2011 with the mission to connect business professionals that will inspire each other from their experiences and allow them to grow their success. The organization hosts quarterly networking events with CEO-level keynote speakers, sharing their stories and motivating entrepreneurs throughout Chicago. Connect.Inspire.Grow also coordinates monthly charity events, including a food drive to feed the homeless at St. John Brebeuf Church in Niles. To date, Monika’s team of directors, host committee members, and volunteers have donated over 5,000 lunches and provided clothing and toys to countless families throughout Illinois.

Connect.Inspire.Grow food drive to feed the homeless

“Our organization has become one big, extended family. We have met so many incredible people with success stories and struggles, and it’s remarkable to see everyone grow on a personal and professional level. I am so excited to celebrate our 2 year anniversary on July 31^st at Hubbard Inn.” says Monika.

Volunteers for charity events are always welcomed, and sponsors for networking events are always encouraged.  To join the Connect.Inspire.Grow movement, visit Facebook.com/connectinspiregrow

First Generation American Project “Drinks & Dialogue” Event at Pint Chicago

Each month, First Generation American Project hosts live meet-up events at local venues throughout Chicago and the suburbs. We invite FGA’s from all cultural backgrounds to join us in an open dialogue, focusing on the experiences of growing up first generation in the US. The environment is always casual and we have been so thankful to see our network of FGA’s evolve over the past year.

Francis Son Photography

This month we were excited to visit Pint Bar & Restaurant in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. The location itself is a testament to the diversity of our great city. Next to Pint’s patio, you can find a retro phone booth that is reminiscent of England. Inside, you definitely get a feel for their motto: “A home away from home. Pint’s relaxing atmosphere, delicious meals, tasty beer selection and ‘old world’ charm will make you feel as comfortable and welcome as any public house in Chicago.”

The eclectic crowd of artsy entrepreneurs and Blackhawks fans filled the public side of the venue, while our group enjoyed a private room in the back. Pint’s staff was kind enough to provide complimentary appetizers and drink specials for our group, and even set up a massive projector to watch the Hawks dominate Detroit in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Right as we began, the roar of the national anthem filled the air, and we waived our American flags with pride. And yes – it was BYOF: Bring Your Own Flag!

Francis Son Photography

The first part of the event started off with drinks and networking. Familiar faces and new faces introduced themselves to each other, while learning about how they heard about FGA Project and why they joined. A few attendees brought American and immigrant friends, all welcomed to be part of the event.

After an hour of meet and greet, we began our dialogue session. Each attendee received a sheet with questions and topics points, and everyone partnered up with a new connection. We asked our partners questions from each category: defining First Generation American, how and why our parents came to the US, food, language, second school, traditions, and cultural identity. We then went around the room sharing what the person across from us discussed. Some had the same interpretation of what being FGA means, others weren’t quite sure how to define it. The openness and honesty of the group made for solid dialogue and really highlighted the purpose of our meet-ups: to catalyze the conversation of what this experience is all about.

Francis Son Photography

Our event photographer, Francis Son, invited his roommate Jo, who turned out to be a first generation Cuban-American. She was excited to jump into our dialogue and share how her family left Cuba because the struggle with Communism in the country. This was the first time I had met Jo, and it was amazing to connect with her on a personal level. Despite coming from different countries, our parents had a similar story, and we felt an instant bond as we continued our conversation.

As we were winding down, a group of locals sat down at the bar in our private section to escape the packed house on the other side of the venue. The Hawks game was playing in the background, but the volume was turned down to allow our guests to share their stories. One of the locals asked why it was so quiet and whether they were interrupting anything. Immediately, our guests welcomed them and shared the purpose of our meet-up. A Korean-American man from the group raised his hand and asked if he counted as FGA. He wasn’t sure of the definition, since he was born in Korea and came at a young age. To his surprise, he did in fact count, and we could all tell he felt right at home with our group.

Francis Son Photography

It’s been so great to meet total strangers and help them better understand their cultural identify. Though our families may come from totally different parts of the world, there are so many nuances that we can relate to. We would love to connect with you and hear about your experiences too. Be sure to join us at our next live event at Vertigo Sky Lounge on Tuesday June 25th from 7pm-9pm.

To learn more about Pint Bar & Restaurant visit www.pintpub.com

First Generation American Drinks and Dialogue with Gino Bartucci

First Generation American Project “Drinks & Dialogue” in studio at AR TV Chicago on May 11, 2013.  Ania Jablonowski interviews  Gino Bartucci, General Manager of Vertigo Sky Lounge on his experience of growing up first generation in the United States.

Article as published in Chicago Rewia on May 17, 2013
By: Ania Jablonowski

When it comes to food and entertainment, Gino Bartucci is one of Chicago’s top experts. As a recipient of the David Award for excellence in business sales and promotions by the Italian National Union Foundation, Gino has built a solid reputation in the food and beverage industry. It’s not a surprise that his success has flourished from a lifetime career that was inspired by his family.

This first generation American, whose full name is MarcAntonio Gino Bartucci, is the General Manager of Vertigo Sky Line.  Located at the Dana Hotel in downtown Chicago, Vertigo was named one of the “Top 3 Hotel Bars in America” and #1 Event of the Year for their “Zombie Apocalypse” party by Nightclub & Bar Awards, and is also named “Top 12 Bars in the Nation for After Work Drinks” by the Huffington Post. Throughout his career, Gino has owned, operated, and or consulted over 20 reputable venues in Chicago. He has accommodated all types of celebrities like Jeremy Piven, Steven Spielberg, the Kardashian’s, Kanye West, and athletes from the Chicago Bulls, Blackhawks, Bears, among many others.

First Generation American Gino Bartucci at Vertigo Sky Lounge

Gino’s roots in the industry stem from his parents’ experience. His mother and father moved to Chicago from Italy in pursuit of work and a better life. “Italy is shaped like boot, so my parents are from the toe and the heel of the boot. One was a fishing village and the other was a farming village in the mountains. It’s beautiful there.” Coming from a country where food was the pride of the culture, his father immediately immersed himself in what he knew best. “Naturally the food business was one of the first jobs my dad was able to get in America. Italians have a passion for food, so it just fit. Food was not only something to sustain and eat, but it was a focus of conversation, something to do on a Friday or Saturday night.”

Mr. Bartucci’s first business, Gino’s Italian Imports, was located on the north side of Chicago. The deli sold homemade sausages, cheeses, and traditional Italian ingredients. The family also opened up Pasta Fresh, a pasta factory that has been in business for about 30 years, providing fresh homemade pastas and sauces on a daily basis to residents and restaurants throughout Chicago. Gino notes, “Our quality products are not only as traditional as it comes, but when people come from Italy they really connect with it, it’s beautiful to see. It’s more than food.”

When asked about his first job, Gino laughs, “To say you have a first job, you’d have to say you actually get paid!” He was about seven years old when he began running around his father’s restaurant as a “curly haired kid in a suit,” smiling at everyone and thanking for them for coming in. The restaurant staff especially loved this, since customers would tip a little more generously.

Another restaurant opened up by the Bartucci family is Nonna Carmela, named after Gino’s late grandmother from his father’s side. There, Gino began bussing tables, assisting guests, and helping with all of the general responsibilities. He says, “It all comes down to service. We treat our business like we treat our homes. Anyone coming in is welcomed with arms wide open, and it’s very warm. Guests feel that they want to come back.” This is a motto that has carried on and is pressed upon his current staff at Vertigo.

He reflects on how the family’s deli and restaurants impacted his childhood experience of bringing a lunch to school. “I had roasted chestnuts, weird stinky cheeses wrapped in foil, random fruits, giant Italian subs that weren’t very popular yet – it was the days before Jarred made Subway cool. None of the kids wanted to trade with me, I wasn’t getting the chocolate pudding. I had a can of sardines, who wants to trade with that?” He appreciates being able to look back and joke about the memory now.

Gino’s first language was English, as his mother wanted her kids to become “strong Americans.” However, preserving the Italian culture was still very important to both of his parents, so he spent the majority of his early childhood surrounded by family and friends who spoke Italian and kept the traditions alive. “There was a little bit of an Italian school, but there wasn’t an actual school structure. It was set up through friends of the family at the cultural center. The kids attended to be with other kids their age, in a cultural setting.” He attended the school on weekends through about seventh or eighth grade.

Naturally, I asked Gino to teach me some Italian 101. He starts off with, “It’s all in hand motions, and you have to speak passionately.” As I motion my hands around like an orchestra pit conductor, I request for him to share three words or phrases. “Carne. Formaggio. Pasta. …Meat, cheese, and pasta – the three staples of what we revolve around, the staples of life.”

Gino also makes a point to mention that he is a diehard soccer fan, or perhaps – Fútbol. He grew up watching the sport with a love for Gli Azzurri, the national Italian team, which he refers to as “the pride of the country.” He notes that it helped him identify with his roots as an Italian-American, and has played the sport since early childhood. He chants, “Forza Azzurri!”

He then shares a fascinating experience that happened during high school. “A couple months after everything was still in an uproar after September 11th, I received letter from the Italian government – just two days after I turned 18 – that I need to report to Torino for duty and serve in the Italian army.” His family had to prove that he was a fulltime US student to absolve him from duty. “It was scary. Here you are in America, worried about getting drafted for the US army, and then you get a letter from Italy.” This happened due to his dual-citizenship, which his parents filed for in his early years. He states that it is a privilege to have citizenship in both countries.

It was truly remarkable to learn about Gino’s experience of growing up first generation American in the States. We have known each other since high school, and never quite knew how much we related based on our FGA upbringing. Recently, we connected on an even greater “first gen” level, when we co-hosted the “Rock and Blues” benefit concert for Alex Blaszczuk. Gino is also excited to host our future “Drinks & Dialogue” event at Vertigo on June 25th at 7pm.

To connect with Gino and learn more about Vertigo Sky Lounge, visit http://www.vertigoskylounge.com

First Generation American Project Interview with Tina Janczura, Director of External Communications at Leo Burnett

Article as published in Chicago Rewia on May 10, 2013
By: Ania Jablonowski

As the Director of External Communications at Leo Burnett, Tina Janczura is an expert in taking a message and projecting it accordingly to her respective audience. This is not just a talent that she picked up during her schooling at Valparaiso University and Cambridge; it has been ingrained in her psyche since early childhood.

Tina Janczura, First Generation American and Director of External Communications at Leo Burnett

Tina and her brother Tom are first generation Americans whose parents came to US from Bielsko-Biała, Poland in their early twenties. Though their parents lived near each other in their homeland, they met in Chicago and “came here with a blank canvas,” she says, admiring the fact that her family was able to start a new life with a new environment, culture, and of course – language.

Mr. and Mrs. Janczura were proud of their Polish heritage and made sure that their children grew up with a strong cultural experience, submerged in their roots, while adapting to the States. Growing up, Tina and Tom would travel to Poland for the summer each year, and like many of us “first gen’s” they attended Polish school on Saturdays. This certainly helped Tina connect to her heritage on such a special level, that she was recently seeking to join an organization that allows her to give back to her culture and considered calling the Polish embassy in Chicago to get involved. She jokes that it was serendipity that a mutual friend of ours to introduced us to each other for this interview.

First Generation American Project “Drinks & Dialogue” Studio Interview.  From Left: Ania Jablonowski and Tina Janczura

With a highly successful career at Leo Burnett, Tina explains that she has been primed for this role her entire life. “I’ve been a spokesperson since I was a kid, since I would take messages, interpret them, flip them to another language, and carry them through.” She spoke Polish at home with her family, English with her friends and classmates, and translated from one language to the other. This came naturally to Tina. She recalls, “It was just something we would do and not even think about it. Looking back, it was a great experience. I feel so much more prepared for what I do for a living.”

“I never felt like I couldn’t succeed as a woman,” says Tina, noting that her inspiration stems from her parents’ hard work and determination to build a solid future for their family. In 1981, Mr. and Mrs. Janczura started R&J CNC Works, Inc., a quality manufacturing and machining company in Franklin Park. They happily employed Tina when she turned 16, and she laughs that her dad was “the toughest boss” she ever had. He handed her a big book of clients that he wanted to work for, and Tina got her first taste of marketing and sales by cold calling prospective clients.

Tina underlines that her Polish background helps her connect with Leo Burnett employees and clients all over the world. The global advertising agency is headquartered in Chicago and has about 10,000 employees and 96 offices worldwide. “My job is to protect and promote the agency, so I’m taking the stories from the agency and sharing them externally, whether it’s with press, with speeches, with leadership. So it’s like I’m serving as this communication liaison, this reputation manager, throughout my entire life.”

When working with Leo Burnett’s global offices or clients, Tina is able to embrace her culture in a way that first generation Americans can relate to and appreciate. “You have 15 seconds to sell your story because everyone is so busy, and they’re writing stories. They’re on deadlines. My 15-second sales pitch was explaining how to say my name. I would call and say, ‘Hi, this is Tina Janczura. Yes, it’s a C, a C-Z. The C, the C is silent.’ I didn’t even get to what I was trying to sell them. So what I started doing, and actually, it’s working really well, I have the phonetic spelling of my name in my email signature stamp.”

Tina says her ethnic name also acts as a door opener by catalyzing conversations about cultural values and traditions with people around the world. She even communicates with Leo Burnett’s Warsaw office by speaking and writing in Polish. “I do call my Mom or Dad, and ask, ‘OK. Can you just make sure I’m saying this right?’”

In addition to her PR career, Tina is also an avid photographer. “Photography was a passion that my parents and I shared growing up and still do today. What’s beautiful about photography is that regardless of your culture or nationality, images speak a universal language.”

Connect with Tina and check out her photography portfolio online at www.tinajanczura.com