The Italian Language Foundation is pleased to announce the winners of the
2024 TEACHER RECOGNITION AWARDS!
Four outstanding teachers from across the United States, two from the high school level and two from universities, have been recognized for their commitment to excellence in the teaching of Italian. Please join us in congratulating:
Marina Buratti
Sewickley Academy
Marina Buratti has been teaching Italian since 2000 and has been in her current position teaching Italian and French at Sewickley Academy since 2003. With more than twenty years experience in language instruction, she has taught all levels of Italian and French, this year teaching Italian I, II, III, IV, and AP, as well as AP French.
Marina earned both a BA in Italian and French and an MA in Teaching Italian Language, Literature, and Culture from the University of Pittsburgh. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Abruzzese parents and raised in a family where Italian was spoken daily, she developed a deep passion for Italian language and culture and a keen understanding of the importance of being multilingual in today’s world.
This passion fuels her teaching, as she encourages her students to continue to pursue Italian studies after high school and to experience Italy through study abroad programs. Marina is dedicated to making language learning an engaging and enriching experience for her dear students. She also recognizes that she cannot do this all alone and wishes to express gratitude to professional organizations like the Italian Language Foundation, her family, and to other Italian teachers who readily share their materials and wisdom with each other via online professional learning networks. Grazie mille!
Serena De Candido
Somerset Academy
I hold a Bachelor’s degree in Sports Science from the Università degli Studi di Milano. Following that, I pursued a Master’s degree in Teaching Italian Language and Literature at the Università degli Stranieri di Siena, deepening my passion for education and linguistics. I moved to Florida in 2011 and have been teaching Italian at Somerset Academy Middle/High School since 2016, enjoying the opportunity to work with students eager to learn a new language.
My teaching experience ranges from beginner classes with middle school students to advanced courses for AP students at the college level. I, also, oversee two cultural exchange programs with organizations in Italy, which greatly enriches my students’ appreciation of Italian culture. Additionally, I work for the College Board as an AP Italian reader and I am a member of the Development Committee.
Donatella Melucci
Georgetown University
Donatella Melucci is a Teaching Professor and the co-director of the International Business and Culture Bachelor of Science Program at Georgetown University. She co-authored two language textbooks Da Capo and Piazza. She is also a translator. Mistero a Matera, is her translation of Murder in Matera, a novel by Helene Stapinski. Professor Melucci is the recipient of the 2023 Dean’s Excellence In Teaching Award.
Ilaria Serra
Florida Atlantic University
Dr. Ilaria Serra is originally from Venice and is a Professor of Italian and Comparative Studies at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. She coordinates the Italian program offering a Minor, a Major, Master’s and PhD courses in Italian Studies. Besides language courses, she teaches a wide variety of Italian and Italian American culture, film and literature courses.
Prof. Serra promotes student research by involving them in the digital projects “Italian American Oral History Archive,” “Italian American Memories Documentary Archive” and “Floritalians,” and the website “Strade Dorate. Observatory of the Italian Diaspora and Italian-Speaking Culture.” She is the founding director of the successful Florida Atlantic University summer study abroad program in Venice, Italy, and other shorter research camps in Italy.