JCU Students Receive America Award by Italy-USA Foundation
Four JCU Students were granted medals of the Italian Parliament in the framework of the America Award by the Italy-USA Foundation on October 6, 2023. Ellie Rose Branson, Lorenzo Emanuel Di Franco-Cascone, Christopher James Schwarten, and Elizabeth Thorpe received the prestigious award in recognition of their academic achievements and service to the University community.
The America Award is conferred to American citizens who are enrolled in a B.A. program at John Cabot University and have extensive knowledge of the Italian language and culture through formal study and extracurricular activities.
Lorenzo Emanuel Di Franco-Cascone grew up in California, visiting his grandmother in Rome every summer since he was a child. During high school, he spent a year at a boarding school in Rome, which allowed him to better explore the city. He decided to attend John Cabot University because his grandmother was Professor Emeritus Fiorenza Di Franco and his mother is an alumna. At JCU, Lorenzo is majoring in International Affairs with minors in Humanistic Studies and Art and Design. He supported his fellow students as a Resident Assistant and served as an elected student representative to Student Government for the Art and Design department. Upon graduation, Lorenzo plans to complete a master’s degree in public policy with an emphasis on conflict resolution in the context of international relations.
Christopher James Schwarten was born in Velletri, a small city near Rome. He moved to the United States when he was one month old and returned to Italy when he was two. He has lived between Velletri and Rome ever since. At John Cabot University he is pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in Italian Studies. He chose to study at JCU for its international perspective and interaction with students from around the world. Christopher is passionate about Italian cinema, literature, and translation. His English translation of poetry by Italian poet Piergiorgio Viti appeared in the Lothlorien Poetry Journal in 2021. Upon completing his degree at JCU, his dream is to become a professional translator.
After retiring from a professional career with responsibility for the delivery of mental health, consultation, and trauma services to over two hundred companies in the United States, Elizabeth Thorpe turned her attention to the arts. A fortuitous reunion with a former college classmate led Elizabeth to John Cabot University’s Master of Arts in Art History program. In preparation for this higher-level degree, she came to Rome in 2018 and enrolled in undergraduate art history courses. She then completed her master’s degree with a thesis study of Antonio Canova’s papal monuments in Santi Apostoli and St. Peter’s. Her passion for art history prompted her to continue at John Cabot University and complete her undergraduate degree in the subject. She intends to write her undergraduate thesis on Pope Urban VIII’s renovation of the Basilica of SS. Cosma e Damiano. Upon completion of her degree, Elizabeth looks forward to offering research assistance to academic scholars in art history. In addition, she is developing a model to provide supportive assistance to pilgrims coming to Rome during the 2025 Jubilee year.
Ellie Rose Branson is a Dominican American from Hollywood, Florida, pursuing a Bachelor of Arts degree in International Affairs and Economics & Finance. In addition to her studies at JCU, Ellie Rose led the Grassroots Environmental Club and spear-headed the Women’s Leadership Initiative. In these roles, she has developed an alumni mentorship program for young women, launched The Equity Project, a university-wide campaign to provide free and sustainable menstrual products for students in need, developed a proposal to begin the University’s green transition, and led a youth delegation to attend the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change 27th Conference of the Parties (COP 27) in Sharm-El-Sheik, Egypt. After graduating, Ellie Rose aspires to work to advance climate policy and gender mainstreaming and assist her family in registering their charity as an NGO for sustainable economic development in the Dominican Republic.
Other recipients of this year’s award were: José Manuel Barroso, president of Goldman Sachs International; Ferruccio de Bortoli, journalist; Angelica Krystle Donati, entrepreneur and president of ANCE Giovani; Francesca Fagnani, television host; Ronn Moss, actor; Davide Oldani, chef; Luca Parmitano, astronaut; Stefano Pontecorvo, ambassador, president of Leonardo; Jean Todt, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy; Beatrice Venezi, orchestra director.
The Italy-USA Foundation is an independent institution established to honor and promote friendship between Italians and Americans by playing a bipartisan public role on both sides of the Atlantic. Each year, the Foundation confers the America Award to acknowledge and encourage initiatives aimed at favoring relationships between Italy and the United States.
