Alessandro Lullo

My grandfather, Alessandro Lullo, believed nothing could ever be achieved or accomplished without hard work. My grandfather was born in a small town in Salerno, Italy called Oliveto Citra that consists of a population of only about 4,000 people today.

He was the oldest of eight children. His father, Vincenzo, died when he was young. My grandfather had to help his mother, Graziella, raise his siblings, work on the land and help support everyone. When he was 18 years of age he become a soldier in the military.

In 1966, my grandparents decided they wanted a better future for their three daughters and moved to America, the great land of freedom and endless opportunity. My grandparents lived in New York City, Hells Kitchen, for awhile. My grandfather held three jobs, he was a shoe shiner in Grand Central Station, a dishwasher for a restaurant in Manhattan, and he worked for Amtrak as a track man.

Later on my grandparents moved to Astoria in Queens, my grandfather stayed with Amtrak and my grandmother, Concetta, got a job working in a pasta factory in Long Island City called Ronzoni. In March of 1979, my grandmother passed away. My grandfather had to raise three daughters on his own.

My grandfather passed away on September 4, 2003. My grandfather was an amazing man with a very big heart. I chose to write about my grandfather because he was a dedicated man who believed and taught me that with determination and perseverance one can accomplish anything. He was a man of eternal optimism. He had a unique way of transforming life's difficult moments into love's greatest memories. His heart and determination are something that I can only hope to have myself one day.