Santarelli

Dear Malcolm,

My name is Joseph Carmine Santarelli. I was born in Chardon Ohio on

December 3rd, 1995. Chardon is a very small town right outside of Cleveland on the

east side. Many people say that this part of Ohio is “frozen in the 1940’s” I agree

with this statement but it perfectly coincided with my traditional ethnic upbringing.

I am a first generation American of Ecuadorian and Italian descent. People often ask

me why I don’t speak my ancestral tongues; there is a very simple answer to this.

When my family came here from Italy and Ecuador, America was a very different

place. They experienced the hatred and animosity against immigrants first hand.

They agreed to teach their children English and only English. They knew that if we

spoke our cultural languages in the home, then we would surely develop an accent,

and as a result already be different from the rest of Americans looking for a job.

America today is a somewhat more understanding place, as a result of this shift I

intend to learn both Italian and Spanish and teach them both, along side English, to

my children in the volatile state of infancy. But I digress; I have lived in North

Carolina for a large percentage of my life. I attended Bishop McGuiness Catholic

High School where I ran cross-country for two years. Although my family is big into

the Roman Catholic Church, I am very accepting of all religions and theories brought

about by the scientific community. I would say that the largest part of my life is

family; I suppose this is because I’m ethnic. I’m very excited to be back at UNCC, not

really happy with all of the work I’ll have to do but excited nonetheless. I am

currently a first year Architecture major on my way to a master’s degree in

Santarelli

Architecture, with the possibility of minoring in city planning. Architecture work

currently absorbs most of my free time, but I really enjoy the family dynamic of the

program. For example, yesterday we all went to studio and worked at the same

time then all went to dinner together, the restaurant had to push four tables

together to seat us all. There was a very rough period in my life, not too long ago,

dealing with my health. Although I will not speak about it at this time, it is

important to know its outcome. Those few years have changed my life forever. I

guess its true that pain is the best mentor. I was forced to mature at a relatively

young age, I’ve seen the face of hell and I can never come back from that. I have

logically deduced that I have a great purpose in this world, if only to produce my

lineage. There is no other reason I would still be alive unless I am destined for

greatness. That may be why I have gravitated so strongly to Architecture as a career

path. I’ve seen how fleeting yet important human life is. As a result I want to

physically create testaments to mankind’s intellect that will survive long past me.

Regardless of that, I know my simplified purpose is to be a good man. If I am a good

man and teach my children my legacy and they teach their children and the cycle

continues, I can single handedly shape the future for the better. I look forward to

this semester.

Joseph Santarelli