Una Famiglia Lodge awards scholarships to two Hernando graduates

Two Hernando County graduates each walked away with $1,000 scholarships from Sons & Daughters of Una Famiglia Lodge #2882, a local investment that turns a community dinner into help with real college expenses.

At the lodge’s scholarship dinner at Silverthorn Country Club, president Annmarie Barbaro Guadagnino introduced the winners and described the mix of academics, athletics and service that set them apart. The scholarships went to Gia Marie Valenti of Nature Coast Technical High School and Juliana Morrongiello of Bishop McLaughlin Catholic High School.

Valenti, a cheerleader, weightlifter, flag football player, church participant and volunteer, was accepted to four colleges and plans to attend Indiana Wesleyan University. She will major in pre-physical therapy and minor in exercise science. Her essay on Italian culture focused on family dinners, lively conversation, sauce simmering on the stove and traditional prayers, using those scenes to show how her heritage shaped her identity.

Morrongiello also received a $1,000 award after balancing volleyball, flag football and HOSA, the Health Occupations for Students of America. She was accepted to three universities and plans to attend Saint Leo University. Her essay centered on traditional Italian American family values and the influence of her grandparents, with hard work, responsibility and family legacy at the core of her story.

The gathering was more than a check presentation. Superintendent Ray Pinder attended, and the room included parents and lodge leaders, underscoring how the scholarship program connects students, families and the broader Hernando County community. For both graduates, the money will help with the cost of higher education at a time when every dollar matters.

The Hernando lodge is part of Sons & Daughters of Italy in Florida, whose Grand Lodge was incorporated in 1953 and now includes 20 lodges and about 1,420 members statewide. The state organization says its scholarship program is meant for worthy students of Italian descent who show academic excellence, leadership, financial need and participation in school and community programs.

Una Famiglia Lodge is listed as a Region III lodge serving Hernando County, with its meeting site at Veterans H.E.A.T. Factory in Brooksville. The group has made scholarship giving a recurring local tradition, with similar $1,000 awards in 2024 and 2025, showing a steady pattern of support for Hernando students rather than a one-time gesture.