User:Rg066212
From The Peopling of Astoria, Queens
Robert Gerner
The Gerner Family
As a third generation American, I not only have family history in the United States, but Italy and Poland as well. Being a resident of Long Island, having family history in America for awhile is not uncommon. However, when compared to Baruch’s population, I feel I am unique since my family has not recently immigrated to the United States. This has led me to the conclusion that when immigrants first come to the United States, in pursuit of a better life, they settle in cities, in this case New York City, and then they spread out to the suburbs of the city, in this case Long Island.
My mother, Debra Gerner, comes from a line of solely Italian immigrants. My great-grandparents, Josephine and Marco Lacagnina immigrated to the United States at an unknown date from Sicily. They raised my grandmother, Elizabeth Falco, in the Bronx. My great-great-grandparents on my grandfather’s side immigrated to the United States from Rome. My great-grandparents raised my grandfather, Alphonse Falco, in Jamaica, Queens. My grandparents married on June 22, 1957 and moved to Ozone Park, Queens. On August 26, 1961, they gave birth to my mother, the third of their four children. My grandparents then moved to Rosedale, Queens, and then in 1984 moved to Massapequa Park, New York, which is where they still reside today.
My father, Robert Gerner Jr., was born on July 27, 1957 to Elizabeth and Robert Gerner Sr.. My grandfather’s parents immigrated to the United States from Poland. When my great-grandfather, Stephen Gerner, came through Ellis Island, he changed our family’s last name from Gorney to Gerner. My grandmother’s parents immigrated to the United States from Italy. My grandparents married and moved to Lindenhurst, New York where they gave birth to my father and uncle Stephen. My grandparents then moved to Albertson, New York, where they raised my father and uncle, and they still live there today.
On June 30, 1984 my father and mother married. They moved to Merrick, New York where they gave birth to me on March 11, 1988 and my brother, Gregory, on April 20, 1992. We then moved in 1996 to Massapequa Park, New York for two reasons: one was the elementary school of St. Rose of Lima and the other was so that my mother could live close to her parents. Today, my mother’s brother Raymond, sister Lisa, and herself all live within two blocks of each other and their parents, my grandparents. They have little contact with their family members in Italy since most of them live here in America.
I am currently looking for an apartment in New York City. This is for two reasons: one is that I need my independence and the other is so that I do not have a three to four hour commute everyday. I still believe that as immigrants live in the United States for a long period of time they tend to settle in the suburbs of the city. However, I feel that a recent trend has well established United States citizens, who either work or go to school in the city, in this case New York City, are moving back to the city in order to be closer to their school or work. So therefore, I believe this new generation of American citizens is reversing and moving back into the cities for educational and work reasons. It will be very interesting to see over the course of the next few years if the roles switch. Will the new immigrants be living in the suburbs and will the well established United States Citizens be living in the city? Only time will tell.
Autobiography
Robert Gerner graduated from Chaminade High School in Mineola, New York on Long Island on May 4, 2006. Rob’s interest in finance led him to attend the Macauley Honors College at Baruch College. Rob was a member of the National Honor Society at Chaminade, and he is currently a member of the Bernard M. Baruch chapter of the Phi Eta Sigma National Honor Society. Rob supplemented his interest in finance by working at Washington Mutual Bank during his junior and senior years of high school. Rob currently works in the marketing department for the insurance centre at the United Nations Federal Credit Union. Rob aspires to continue his education at Baruch College’s Zicklin School of Business and work as a financial analyst for Goldman Sachs.