On May 19, 1921, at the age of 16, my grandmother Beatrice Faccini arrived at Ellis Island aboard the SS Giuseppe Verdi after a nearly three week voyage from Genoa, Italy. Traveling alone to reunite with her brothers, she endured cramped steerage conditions, seasickness, and uncertainty as she crossed the Atlantic in pursuit of a better life. Unbeknownst to her, the very day she stepped onto American soil, the Emergency Quota Act went into effect, severely restricting immigration from Southern and Eastern Europe and closing the door behind her.
Had Beatrice arrived just one day later, she may have been turned away. But she made it through—by hours, not days. Her courage, timing, and resilience laid the foundation for generations to come. On Pioneer Day, I honor her as my family’s pioneer. Not in a covered wagon, but in third class on a steamship, carrying hope, grit, and everything she had into a new world.
She is the embodiment and originator of our motto: Always Forward
Nico Pesci
Founder and CEO, Momentum Wealth
