Dominic Pulera with students Dominic J. Pulera recently visited Garden City High School to speak to students currently studying the Italian language. Mr. Pulera is an author, speaker, and international business consultant. His works focus on the journey of immigrants in the United States and he is recognized as an expert on matters involving race, culture, and diversity.

At the high school, Mr. Pulera shared the stories of many Italian-Americans he has met and interviewed. They have described to him some of the difficulties they faced being immigrants or children of immigrants in the United States. Often, the individuals whom he talked with felt torn between their international and American identities. He spoke about how these people struggled in a new, unfamiliar environment and were often not quickly assimilated into their adopted culture.

Mr. Pulera also explained how much society has changed. Italian immigrants, who frequently were not readily accepted into society, are now very much a part of American culture. For example, he stated that it is difficult to find any town without an Italian pizza restaurant, and that Italian cuisine has become one of the most popular cuisines in the United States.

Signora Brunetti’s College Level Italian class benefited greatly from Mr. Pulera’s speech. The students studied immigration, the plight of Italian immigrants, and Italian-Americans in the United States. Mr. Pulera provided deeper insight into what the students had already learned and greatly enhanced their understanding of immigration.