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For Loredana Calce, who was chosen as Miss Columbus for the 2011 Bronx Columbus Day Parade, the opportunity to represent her heritage is just as important as the scholarship now available to her.

Calce, 17, won the position after writing an essay on her Italian-American roots and being chosen as Miss Columbus 2011 by a panel of teachers who review all of the submissions and interview the finalists. The senior at Preston High School will be receiving a college scholarship from the Generoso Pope Foundation and will ride in a car on the parade route on Morris Park Avenue. The parade kicks off at noon on Sunday, October 9, running from White Plains Road to Williamsbridge Road.

“The thing that I am looking forward is taking a leadership role in the community as Miss Columbus,” Calce said. “I think I will grow as a person because of this experience.”

Calce’s parents are Italian immigrants who run a pizzeria in Woodlawn,

“I have always strived to make my parents proud of me, and to represent my family and my heritage,” Calce said. “I also want to represent Preston High School because it is a great school.”

She and a number of other students that study Italian at Preston were encouraged by their teacher to take part in the Miss Columbus contest, Calce said. She wrote an essay about her Uncle Vincenzo, who had rough times in Italy but was extremely proud of his service in the Italian army during World War II and of his heritage.

She also wrote about her daily Sunday routine, with her parents communicating with relatives in Italy via video-conferencing while having espresso in the morning, and then enjoying a big traditional dinner with various kinds of pasta, she said. She is very grateful to the Pope Foundation for the opportunities that it provides for students like her.

Her long-term goals are to attend either Fordham University, Manhattan College, or Iona College, and to pursue a pre-med course of study, Calce said. She is interested in becoming a dentist, and currently works part-time as a dental assistant.

In addition to her parents Anna and Fulvio, and her sister Angelica, the Preston High School community is also very proud of her.

“We are thrilled that senior Loredana Calce has been named as Miss Columbus for the 2011 Bronx Columbus Day Parade,” said Preston principal Jane Grendell. “In addition to her ably representing her school as member of Preston’s varsity volleyball team, she is a fine role model to younger students as a junior ambassador.”

Clace is an active member of Preston’s Italian Honor Society and Italian Club.

©2011 Community Newspaper Group