Loyola Academy is a large community of people that make it an amazing place to be apart of. Loyola cannot be categorized by one activity, person, service project, or academic achievement. The many layers of Loyola make it a wonderful community to be included in. When breaking down those layers and taking a look at each aspect that makes Loyola great, we can most easily start with the students. Each student of Loyola Academy brings something new to the table and adds to the culture.
Emilio Leone is a junior and he is involved in marching band and concert band at Loyola. As a student involved in the community, Emilio plays a crucial role in the culture of Loyola Academy. Emilio’s background also is apart of what makes the Loyola community.
Emilio Leone story is not just as a Loyola student and Loyola band member, his family has a very interesting history of being from Italy. Emilio’s father is from Sicily and his mother’s family is from a small town in northern Italy. Emilio started going to Italy with his family from the age of five. At home Emilio’s explains that his father and mother speak Italian to each other occasionally but Emilio and his siblings don’t speak Italian. When asked if having Italian roots and spending summers in Italy has shaped his identity. Emilio responds saying, “Kind of, a lot of my family culture is around being Italian”. He goes into explaining they have some Italian tradition. “ Eating dinner with the family, having dinner on Christmas Eve, how we decorate our tree with the star last”, says Emilio. Though Emilio has many Italian traditions in his home he has explains that he also identifies very much with being American. Emilio’s identity has shaped him into the person he is today and a person immersed in the Loyola community.
Loyola Academy is a large community of people that make it an amazing place to be apart of. Learning about the backgrounds of students at Loyola is important in understanding the culture and community at Loyola Academy. Emilio Leone is one of the reasons why Loyola is a great community to be part of.