Hello, everyone, and welcome to the White House! Ambassador Zappia, we’re honored to have you with us this evening. And we’re grateful for Italy’s continued partnership on the world stage and in supporting Ukraine against Putin’s unprovoked war.
 
Every family has its own mythology – stories we tell again and again, stories that help illuminate the forces that shaped us and the values that continue to define us. When my father’s grandparents Gaetano and Conchetta Giacoppa came to America, they became Gaetano and Conchetta Jacobs. They left behind everything they knew to chase the hope of this country’s unlimited promise.