The award ceremony of the sixth edition of the scholarship Costruisco il Mio Futuro in memory of Antonio Mamone
TROPEA – A splendid evening was experienced in the large square of the Tropis Hotel, where the winners of Costruisco il Mio Futuro (I build my future), the scholarship in memory of Antonio Mamone, were awarded. An event that has characterized the Tropea summer for six years thanks to the Mamone family, who wanted to follow up on one of Antonio’s dream: that of being alongside young people to accompany them along the path of their lives. And it is a dream that comes back every end of the school year and is reflected in the smiles of six young students who receive the scholarship to continue cultivating their expectations for the future.
The event was opened by journalist Pasqualino Pandullo, who, among other things, said «Those who knew Antonio know that he was a man with great sensitivity and professionalism, a man who had a great entrepreneurial vision that he associated with boundless humanity. A man, before being an entrepreneur, who practiced the culture of solidarity. And precisely “Culture of solidarity” is the slogan with which the association “La Sterlizia” was born very recently, which this year is the promoter and organizer of the event and which will soon offer new services always in the direction of that culture of solidarity so dear to Antonio». He recalled that since 2019 the Scholarship has awarded six students of the Tropea Higher Education Institute, led by Nicolantonio Cutuli, for a total of 15,000 euros overall. He then called on the stage the journalist Francesco Repice who for the third consecutive year will join him in hosting the evening. And being a sports journalist, there was no shortage of jokes between the two about Italy’s flop at Euro ’24.
Domenica Mamone, one of Antonio’s three sisters who are fully committed to the realization of the event, was called on stage.
Mamone focused on the association “La Sterlizia” recently founded and which, from this edition onwards, organizes the Scholarship and explained why this flower was chosen.
The two presenters then thanked the sponsors and greeted those present including Dalila Nesci, former Undersecretary of State, the mayors of the sponsoring municipalities: Corrado L’Andolina Mayor of Zambrone and President of the Province of VV; Alessandro Porcelli Mayor of Drapia; Antonio Landro Mayor of Parghelia; Nicola Tripodi Mayor of Ricadi and the Prefectural Commission that leads the Municipality of Tropea, the Calabria Region for the patronage.
The school principal Nicolantonio Cutuli was then called to speak and spoke about the wonderful experience that the Institute has been experiencing for six years thanks to this initiative.The first scholarship was then awarded to Antonio Simonelli, attending the Classical High School. The prize was presented to him by Rosalba Nazionale, winner of the scholarship in the year 2023.
During the evening, there were also musical interludes with the splendid voice of soprano Gemma Fazzari accompanied on the piano by Francesco Pata. The songs Sogna ragazzo, sogna (Dream boy, dream) by Roberto Vecchioni and La vita è bella (Life is beautiful) by Nicola Piovani, were evocative and exciting.
The second Scholarship was awarded by Martina Florio, winner of the year 2023, to Filippo Rombolà.
Lucia Cuppari and Claudia Minutolo then took the stage and gave a short performance on the theme Sogna ragazzo, sogna.
The scholarship “Costruisco il Mio Presente” (I build my present) was then discussed, with Maria Grazia Teramo and Francesco Carchidi of the LaboArt association.
The third Scholarship was then awarded by Michele Locane, winner of the year 2023, to Marianeve Scordo, attending the Liceo Scientifico. On stage, Giulia Andiloro recited “Sul Muro” by Bertolt Brecht, followed by the awarding of the third Scholarship for the evening course of the Hotel Institute, which went to Maria Costa. The award was presented to her by Alessia Purita, winner of the 2023 Scholarship.
The jury of the evening course was then called on stage, composed of Pandullo himself, Danila Lento of Cantine Lento di Lametia Terme and Agrichef Vincenzo Barbieri.
The evening continued with the presentation of the “Alberobosco” award, which went to Mauro Lamanna for the praiseworthy project “Schermi – Il cinema multipiazza”(Screens – The Multi-Place Cinema), a series of afternoon and evening events in the peripheral and difficult neighborhoods of Catanzaro.
On stage, together with Lamanna, also Domenica Mamone who read the motivation, and the artist Vanessa Cariati who created both the Alberobosco award, and the Dono, the tree on which the winning students of the previous year hang a flower and a phrase they themselves created.
Pandullo and Repice called on stage the members of Randstad, the multinational company that deals with the research, selection and training of human resources and that, within the Scholarship, subjects students to a mock job interview. Then, Silvia Testa, Strategic Relationships Director of Randstad Italia; Alessandro Balzano, area manager of the South Tyrrhenian area; Nicola Mastroianni, unit manager and Simona Muzzillo, sales consultant.
The fifth and sixth scholarships were awarded.
On stage Katia Mazzeo, winner of the year 2023 for the Hotel Institute, who awarded the prize to Francesco Arango, this year’s winner, and Giuseppe Mazzitelli, winner of the BdS of the first edition, who awarded the prize to Pasquale Schiariti.
All the students who went on stage told their dreams, their hopes, their vision of the future and it was beautiful and exciting to observe how many beautiful youth our land of Calabria has and several times, the hosts Pandullo and Repice, underlined the desire not to see them go away.
And while Fazzari, accompanied by Pata, sang the song by Riccardo Cocciante, made famous by Rino Gaetano “A mano a mano” (little by little), the 2023 scholarship students attached the flower to the Dono tree which was followed by the launch of the cap and confetti that closed the 2024 event amidst general emotion.
