This year’s grant recipients are three Vermonters whose distinct project proposals share a common purpose: connecting with their Italian roots through learning and sharing that knowledge with other Vermonters.
As one member of the Grants Committee noted after reviewing the proposals, “I am truly excited to hear about each of their experiences. They each represent such a great example of why VICA’s Grant Program is so vital to our organization.” VICA President Lisa DeNatale added, “These grants are only possible because of the generous support of our members and donors. We owe them our deep gratitude.”
Together, the 2026 recipients show how VICA grants deepen Vermonters’ connection to Italy and advance the mission to preserve and promote Italian culture in Vermont. The VICA Grants Program cycle for 2027 opens for applications on November 1.
The Senator and Marcelle Leahy Award recipient is Daniela Sardo, a student at Bennington College in Bennington, Vermont. Daniela is using the award to attend Middlebury Language Schools’ Italian immersion program in Bennington. In her application, Daniela expressed her goal to deepen her Italian-language skills and cultural understanding, which will facilitate connecting with her family in Monte di Procida, Italy, where her father’s family is from. Daniela plans to share what she learned through the program with Vermonters through VICA. After graduation, Daniela plans to spend time with her grandmother in Monte di Procida.
A VICA grant was awarded to Cecelia Puleio, an early childhood educator and mentor from Montpelier, Vermont, with a longstanding professional and personal interest in the Reggio Emilia Approach (REA) to early childhood education. Cecelia is an educator at Berlin Elementary School, and the grant will support deepening her expertise in this approach by participating in the North American Reggio Emilia Alliance Summer Conference and its “Mosaic of Marks, Words, Materials” exhibit. The event, held in Winooski, featured Italian experts visiting from Reggio Emilia, Italy. Cecelia plans to deliver a presentation to share her experiences and insights with Vermont educators and her colleagues at Berlin Elementary School. In her application, Cecelia cited her Italian heritage through her great-grandfather, who was born in Gesso, Sicily, and noted that she is in the process of applying for Italian citizenship.
A VICA grant was also awarded to Neve Bruno, a Vermont resident and classical soprano, who received support to attend La Musica Lirica, an intensive opera-training program in Novafeltria, Italy. The program will allow her to deepen her Italian-language skills, refine her operatic diction, and gain professional-level experience rehearsing and performing Mozart’s “Così fan tutte” in an immersive Italian cultural setting. Neve currently studies classical voice at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and will continue her vocal training at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music in Evanston, Illinois. In her application, Neve described her connection to Italy as both artistic and personal: Italian opera is central to her musical development, and she traces part of her heritage to Italy through her father’s side of the family. Neve plans to share what she has learned through a live performance for the VICA community, including written reflections and photographs documenting her experience, language growth, and cultural immersion.
