The Signature | January 8, 2021

January 8, 2021

Vol. 38 No. 1

AVERI CHANDLER STRIKES A CHORD pages 6 & 7

COVID-19 VACCINE UPDATES LETTERS FOR LIFE

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12 Star Message

Adm. Christopher Grady, Adm. John Aquilino, and Adm. Robert Burke

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s your fleet commanders, we want each of you to know we are aligned with CNO’s recommendation, and we also fully support that each of you strongly consider receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine takes a crucial step in our fight against covid-19 and is essential to protect you, our shipmates, our families, and the nation we defend. This is a ‘we, not me’ issue - the continuation of our unselfish personal and professional behavior that we have collectively displayed over the last year to mitigate the effects and spread of the virus. Not only is it about your safety, but about each of your shipmates. Together we did a phenomenal job over the last year mitigating the effects and spread of the virus. The vaccine moves us one step closer to unencumbered operations at sea, in port, and on liberty.

The Navy leads the way on understanding COVID-19, developing protocols, and mitigating risk, keeping our forces operating at sea and delivering mission assurance to our combatant commanders. We will continue to lead the way in ensuring our Navy and our nation stay healthy and COVID-19 free.

The vaccine has an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) from the Food and Drug administration (FDA) and Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and therefore your decision to receive the vaccine is voluntary.

Consider these medical facts about the covid-19 vaccine to help inform your decision: A. The technology used to develop the vaccine has been in use for the last 10 years. We are confident in the safety and the effectiveness of these vaccines.

B. The standard three phase trials fully tested these vaccines and were not abbreviated nor rushed. Due to the extreme nature and critical need to produce the vaccine and provide it to the public safely and quickly, our country expended every resource and made development and testing of COVID-19 vaccines a top priority.

Authorization for use came quickly because the FDA accelerated the vaccines to the front of the line at every step. No compromises on safety or efficacy were made.

C. Testing indicates 95% effectiveness at preventing COVID-19.

D. More than 21,000 trial participants received the prescribed two doses of the authorized vaccine, with

no recipient reporting serious side effects. About half experienced mild fever, fatigue, or muscle soreness lasting no more than a few days, which is normal for most vaccines. To this point, only seven out of 556,000 people have had an allergic reaction to the vaccine.

E. The vaccine contains no live virus. The vaccine will activate your immune system so your body can fight the virus and does not pose a threat to family members or others once administered.

F. Prior to issuing the EUA, the experts at the FDA and CDC reviewed and validated the complete trial results.

Your commanding officers will inform you when the vaccine is ready and where to report to receive it. The local medical providers will issue the vaccine and update your record. The vaccine available today requires two doses about three weeks apart.

As your fleet commanders, we believe in the efficacy and safety of the vaccine. Along with the fleet master chiefs, we will take the vaccine as soon as it is available.

The COVID-19 vaccine marks a turning point in our battle against the virus and will turn the tide on the pandemic to improve the collective health and safety of the fleet and our families, reinvigorate our personal lives, recover resilience, and establish us on the path towards normal operations. You’ve all done a tremendous job operating in a covid-19 environment over the past year, now let’s put COVID-19 behind us!

January 8, 2021

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THE SIGNATURE

U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION SIGONELLA

Commanding Officer Capt. Kevin Pickard Executive Officer Cmdr. Ronald Cappellini Command Master Chief CMDCM Anna Wood EDITORIAL Public Affairs Officer Lt. Karl Schonberg karl.schonberg@eu.navy.mil Assistant Public Affairs Officer Megan Mills megan.mills@eu.navy.mil Public Affairs Leading Petty Officer MC1 Kegan Kay kegan.kay@eu.navy.mil Community Relations Officer Dott. Alberto Lunetta alberto.lunetta.it@eu.navy.mil PAO Staff Writers \ Photographers MC2 Joshua Coté joshua.m.cote@eu.navy.mil MC3 Jacques Jean-Gilles jacques-laurent.jean@eu.navy.mil MCSN Triniti Lersch triniti.lersch@eu.navy.mil CONTACT US

Naval Air Station Sigonella, Sicily thesig@eu.navy.mil DSN 624-5440; 095-86-5440 PSC 812 Box 7, FPO, AE 09627-0001

This newspaper is an authorized publication for members of the military services overseas.

Contents of The Signature are not necessarily the official views of, or endorsed by, the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense (DoD), or the U.S. Navy.

Editorial submissions are welcomed from all Naval Air Station Sigonella departments, divisions and tenant commands. Editorial submissions should be sent to the Public Affairs Office via thesig@eu.navy.mil. All articles submitted by non-staff members will be considered contributing writers.

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Name: Adam Doumbia Command: AIMD Department: Paraloft

By MC2 Josh Cote, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

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ircraft Intermediate Maintenance Detachment (AIMD) is just one of the 37 total tenant commands here a Naval Air Station Sigonella. AIMD’s purpose is to support and repair aviation components and support equipment, and it is broken down into many departments. In the paraloft department, one Sailor who stands out is Aircrew Survival Equipmentman (PR) 2nd Class Adam Doumbia.

The Aircrew Survival Equipmentman rating was originally called Parachute Rigger until it was formally changed to its current title in 1965. PRs are responsible for inspecting, maintaining and repairing parachutes, seat pans, survival equipment, and flight and protective clothing. They are also responsible for packing and rigging parachutes, as well as packing and equipping life rafts.

Doumbia finds both the environment and the work at the paraloft gratifying. “When you’re with a squadron, you get to talk with aircrew and pilots, and I like being around that environment a lot,” he said. “The air crew is using our gear to go fly and also rescue people. They are using it to survive.”

Along with staying on top of his daily tasks, Doumbia also holds a multiple collateral duties here on base.

“I am part of the Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) team and also part of the

suicide prevention team,” said Doumbia, “as well as being an assistant command fitness leader.”

On top of all that, he also had time to complete his associate’s degree in general studies from Central Texas College and plans to continue his education in the future.

Originally from the Ivory Coast in West Africa, Doumbia joined the Navy in part to see the world and experience new cultures. He has been in the Navy for seven years, with Sigonella being his second command. Before coming here, he was stationed at Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 5 out of Norfolk.

For Doumbia, the Sicilian summer is a highlight of being stationed onboard NAS Sigonella.

“My favorite thing about Sicily is definitely the summertime,” said Doumbia. “I love that time of year out here, being able to go to the beach, Siracusa, and Taormina, and hanging out and just enjoying the sun here in Sicily.”

In addition to traveling around the island, Doumbia has also experienced more of Europe through trips to Paris, Budapest, Romania, and mainland Italy.

“Out of all the countries I went to, France was my favorite one,” said Doumbia. “I speak French, so I just fit right in. I loved the food and the culture there too; it’s amazing.”

January 8, 2021

Letters for Life Reaches Out Across Sigonella

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By MC3 Jacques Jean-Gilles NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

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uicide is always a tough topic to discuss, especially in the military where service members are expected to perform in high stress environments. According to the 2019 Annual Department of Defense (DoD) report, the overall rate of deaths by suicide across all branches of the military has increased over the past five years.

Here onboard Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella, one Sailor spearheaded a new initiative to address this serious issue headon.

Letters for Life is a program started by Naval Air Crewman (Mechanical) 2nd Class Erin Videll, a department career counselor at NAS Sigonella’s operations department, to raise awareness and provide resources to those in need. Anonymous service members and members of the community send in letters of encouragement to Videll and her team, which are then placed in boxes around the base. Anyone can pick one up.

“Our target is anyone, from those who are having a bad day to those who really need help and resources,” said Videll.

Letters for Life was born through tragedy. “I had someone in my family pass away, and I wondered what I could do here at Sigonella,” Videll said. “I felt like I needed to do something, so I wrote a letter, and I wondered if I could get other people to do the same thing.”

Navy Chaplain Lt. Ryan Albano, a NAS Sigonella chaplain, helped facilitate Videll’s vision and echo her concerns to Sigonella leadership.

“Videll is a rock star,” said Albano. “She totally gets all the credit for coming up with this great idea and doing the majority of the leg work. My primary way of assisting Videll was amplifying her idea to the command and pulling together key stakeholders to make it become a reality. I continue to attend the meetings as often as possible, help decorate envelopes (although mine are not very good), proofread and prepare the letters, and then walk the spaces to check on each of our Letters for Life locations.”

Writing a letter is not the only way community members are involved; the letters are placed in envelopes decorated by service members, civilians, and even young children at the base Child Development Center.

The main purpose of Letters for Life to encourage those who may not reach out for help. Many people struggling with suicidal thoughts may not seek assistance, so the hope is that an anonymous letter may reach them in a time of need.

“There are many signs that someone might be struggling with thoughts of suicide, but sometimes people hide it really well,” said Albano. “Generally speaking, some of the signs are alcohol or drug abuse, carelessness, reckless behavior, making plans for the end (selling or giving precious things away), a person’s disposition seemingly spiraling down into sadness, and at its worst: hopelessness.” He added, “Those who recently experienced a traumatic loss, assault or abuse are at a much higher risk of suicide, as the world that once felt safe and familiar no longer feels the same.”

Each letter includes a resource card with contact information for the chapel, Fleet and Family Support Center, and the hospital on base, all of which offer unique forms of suicide help and intervention.

A popular resource, chaplains offer absolute confidentiality. “A person struggling with thoughts of suicide can speak with a chaplain, and if they don’t want that information to go anywhere it will stay between us and them,” said Albano. “We do not report anything whatsoever, and hold what is shared to us with the utmost confidence. We also regularly teach suicide intervention courses for free, and can even come to your work center and teach them on-site.”

Although it’s not easy to measure the success of Letters for Life, Videll believes it is making an impact.

“What matters to me is if the letters are disappearing or not—which they are,” said Videll. “That’s how we know we’re making a difference. It makes me feel good, and I’m happy that the community is coming together and getting behind this program.”

Other commands outside of Sigonella have even reached out to Videll to start similar programs at their respective locations, and she says she would love to see this program military-wide.

Letters for Life needs more letter writers, so if you would like to type a letter and contribute to their cause, you can an email it to sigonellal4l@eu.navy.mil.

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Averi Chandler

By Megan Mills, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs, Photos by twincurl

“Cara Delilah, tutto bene a New York City, io ti scrivo dall’Italia..” veri Chandler’s eyes are bold as she croons and strums her guitar, switching easily from Italian to English as the music goes on. As in most of her TikToks, her warm face is the focus of the frame, her guitar her only accompaniment as she records snippets of songs in her bedroom. With her smooth voice, acoustic skills, and confident demeanor, it’s not hard to see why this video has over one million views.

In fact, one viewer in particular, Italian musician Edo Fiacchi, was so impressed that he invited her to collaborate on an original song and music video.

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KICKING AND SCREAMING At first, Averi’s musical passion took a backseat to her athletic side. “My family was a sports family,” she says. Her older sister won Department of Defense Educational Activity (DoDEA) Europe Female Athlete of the Year in 2017, and her mother serves as athletic director at Sigonella Community Schools. Averi upheld the family tradition while also exploring her creativity.

As a young child, she attended a sports and music academy, and she went on to learn to play drums, piano and guitar, while also participating in several sports.

By sixth grade, she was becoming more serious about music, but only from the privacy of her own home—she suffered from intense stage fright.

The following year, her father, seeing her talent and dedication, took matters into his own hands, resulting

in her first ever public performance.

“I was singing and playing guitar, I was doing it every day, and he decided he was going to force me to do [Sig’s Got Talent],” she says, chuckling once again. “There was a lot of kicking and screaming and dragging.”

Despite her resistance, she figured out a way to fight through the fright. “I put in my headphones to listen to the song,” she recalls. “I couldn’t hear anybody. I couldn’t see anybody. I just played the song.” Laughing, she adds, “I don’t really know how that performance went!”

After getting positive feedback from the audience, Averi began to bring her guitar with her to school, playing first for her English classes, and then others too. Soon, her informal school concerts became a daily occurrence, and she even played in the orchestra pit for musicals at the school. All the while, she also pursued athletic excellence.

A CHANGE IN PLANS As a freshman in high school, Averi followed in her sister’s athletic footsteps, winning the DoDEA Europe Female Athlete of the Year as well as the MVP title for volleyball, basketball, and softball. She hoped to continue playing sports through high school and into college, but after an injury in the first week of her junior year, those plans came to a screeching halt.

“I had just come back from a really competitive camp that summer before where I was playing for nine hours a day, so I was really at my peak performance,” she says.

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Strikes a Chord But all it took was an intense basketball practice, an unfortunate collision and a torn ACL for everything to change.

“It was a little frustrating because junior year probably would have been my top year,” she says. “For the past four years, it’s been my whole life. I go to school, then I’m at practice for two hours a day.” She pauses, then adds, “But I’d go to school, go to practice, then come home and do music all night.”

Just months after Averi had surgery for her torn ACL, the coronavirus pandemic led to Italy’s strict spring lockdown. During that strange time, without athletic or social outlets, Averi decided to begin posting videos of her musical performances on TikTok. “At first I was just singing popular TikTok songs, and then I started to sing in half Italian and half English,” she says. “The first one I posted in May was “Hey There Delilah”, and now it has over one million views.”

Just two months later, her videos caught the attention of Edo Fiacchi.

“I was drawing a big following on TikTok, so he asked me to sing one of his songs on my page, so I did,” she says. “About a month later he said, ‘We should write a song together,’ and I said, ‘Let’s do it.’”

Later that summer, Averi and her mother, father, sister, and girlfriend flew up to Siena so she could record the song and video.

“It was surreal,” she says, shaking her head a little.

“One day I’m just going on a little family trip, and then I’m getting picked up and recording songs and doing

photo shoots, and the next day we’re meeting all these famous people and shooting videos with them. It was crazy.”

After the excitement of creating and recording “Ricci,” Averi is eager to move forward on her musical journey.

“I write a lot, I play a lot of instruments, and I listen to a lot of different music, so anything could happen.

Right now I’m working towards a rock single, and I’ve recorded two other R&B singles and a trap song. I’m looking forward to just expanding and doing it all.”

THE SPARK Averi has found that both playing sports and writing music share a powerful element—adrenaline.

“The adrenaline that you have when you write a great song lyric is really similar to shooting a deep three pointer in basketball,” she says. “All you want to do is shoot a bunch of threes and write a bunch of songs!”

She notes that not all shots make it in and not all lyrics are slam dunks, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t keep at it. “You can miss a bunch of shots in basketball and then make one, and you can write a bunch really bad songs and then one great one comes out of it.”

Although Averi is self-motivated and admits to being “a bit stubborn,” she gives credit to her family, friends and teachers for helping her gain confidence and express her creativity.

“You know we never want to listen to our parents, but

"Chandler" cont’d on Page 11

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Winter Discount shopping season kicks off in Sicily

By Dr. Alberto Lunetta, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

magine a “Black Friday” weekend IItaly’s that lasts three months! annual winter “stagione dei

saldi,” or discount season, kicked off Jan. 7 and will last until March 15. This is the first of two annual governmentregulated periods for such a special sale. The other discount season starts on the second Saturday of July and lasts until Sept. 15.

Expect long lines at checkout counters and excited shoppers; however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s safety regulations, you won’t find yourself among a crowd of people pushing and shoving their way into stores like the usual first days of the post-holiday season sale.

This sales season is expected to provide some relief for Sicilian retailers who were forced to temporarily close during Christmas due to a new national government-imposed lockdown.

Various media outlets reported that, according to consumers’ associations, Sicily’s retailers have been facing a catastrophic crisis since the beginning of the pandemic, and 30% of them might not be open anymore in January.

So get ready to buy high-quality Italian, stylish items at bargain prices, but watch out for retailers who trumpet big discounts. Here are some good rules of thumb provided by Italy Consumer Associations. Try to listen to these tips so you will avoid rip-offs and disputes with merchants that are difficult to handle if you don’t speak Italian.

First of all, do not trust discounts higher than 50% from the initial price.

A “sensational” 80%-90% discount sounds like a tempting offer, but it is probably a rip-off.

Be sure to look an item over carefully before you buy it. Check different

Sigonella bargain hunters will be happy to hear that the new year’s clearance sales season begun in Italy yesterday.

(Photo by www.direttasicilia.it)

shops to compare prices. If you have visited a store in the past, you might be able to evaluate if a product was overpriced and then marked down. Stores must display on the tags the initial prezzo (price) and the reduced price, both in ciphers and in percentage.

Remember that during the discount season, defective merchandise can be exchanged or returned as usual.

There is no “special return policy” when you purchase an on-sale item. Therefore, always keep your “scontrino,” or receipt, and distrust the shops that display signs saying: “la merce venduta non si cambia” (purchased merchandise cannot be returned) or “all sales are final.” By law, you have the right to change any defective clothing or shoe that is not up to sample within two months.

Retailers can either refund you or give you a coupon that should be spent in the same shop, and it is best to confirm this when you make your purchases.

Some storeowners are sometimes reluctant, already, after a week, to

change defective merchandise.

With that being said, once you buy something and later you don’t like it anymore, you cannot get your money back just because you don’t like it anymore. Personal taste is not a legitimate reason to exchange an item.

Finally, remember that you can use any method of payment. Don’t trust shop owners who display signs saying “non si accettano carte di credito e bancomat” (credit cards and ATM cards are not accepted). If you don’t see any signs around, and the sales clerk tells you about it upon paying, tell them you know they must accept your credit card.

Who is La Befana? hen I was a kid, I remember W being very excited on the night of Jan. 5 because I knew that

the next morning, I would get some special gifts from her. Before I actually went to sleep, I used to place empty stockings under the Christmas tree.

"Italian News" cont’d on Page 11

January 8, 2021

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Sigonella Players on Top at TOPPERS

By Megan Mills, NAS Sigonella Public Affairs

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ack in February 2020, before COVID-19 caused lockdowns throughout the world, the Sigonella Players performed a series of short comedic plays titled “Contagious Laughter.”

Jeanne Ragonese, director of the Sigonella Players, had chosen the title many months before COVID-19 had been a part of anyone’s vocabulary. “What I thought was just a cute title became a bit ironic in the winter of 2020,” she said. “We were actually VERY fortunate because if our production had been even a week later, we would have had to cancel due to the beginning of coronavirus restrictions.”

Sponsored by Naval Air Station (NAS) Sigonella’s Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) department, the Sigonella Players Community Theater was founded by Ragonese in 2019 and includes active-duty service members, civilians, and dependents from the Sigonella community who are at least eighteen years old and out of high school. All of the cast and crew volunteered their time to produce the shows, which were performed at Midtown Theater on Feb. 28-29, 2020. “We are incredibly grateful for the help and support MWR has provided in order to make the Players possible,” said Ragonese.

New faces joined returning members from the inaugural year, and after only a month of rehearsals, costume creation, and set design, the show opened to full houses on both nights of shows.

Audiences were treated to uproarious scenes of dogs in a film-noir mystery, two police officers investigating a baffling sign-stealing crime, a bank robbery with a strange twist, a group of boys conducting a business meeting to discuss whether or not to like girls, and a series

of very unfortunate blind dates.

While community theaters are common throughout Army and Air Force bases in Europe, Sigonella is currently the only naval base with a group that competes in the annual U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM) Tournament of Plays.

For the Tournament of Plays, IMCOM sends judges to view performances and provide feedback to the cast and crew as well as to host workshops open to the community.

Afterwards, they judge the competition, select nominees, and announce winners in a variety of categories. This year, instead of a spring gala, the 60th annual US Army IMCOM Europe Entertainment TOPPERs Awards were announced in a virtual video released on December 19. Celebrity recorded announcers are always a highlight, and this year they included actors Harvey Fierstein and Chris Pine.

The Sigonella Players earned 13 nominations and two wins among the cast and crew this year. Petty Officer 2nd Class David Lane won “Outstanding Military Performance in a Play,” and Justice Smith won “Outstanding Debut in a Play,” both for multiple roles in the show.

“I’m especially proud that for the second year in a row, The Sigonella Players have won Best Military Performance at the IMCOM Tournament of Plays, since one of goals for starting the group was to provide something fun and a little bit different for the many active military personnel here at Sig,” said Ragonese. “I’m also proud to see a naval base represented to showcase the many talented Sailors and civilians we have here.”

While there are no current plans for upcoming performances by the Sigonella Players due to the current restrictions, Ragonese is eager to get the group back on stage as soon as possible. In the meantime, the Sigonella Players have continued to gather virtually to read plays.

After playwright Jonathan Rand sat in on one event, he requested that the group read a brand new work so he could hear it performed. “It was exciting to be part of the process and have actors reading the script in four different time zones!” said Ragonese.

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Base Beautification The Signature

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f you’ve been over to Naval Air Station Sigonella’s Air Terminal lately , you may have noticed it’s garden beds have received a bit of a face-lift. This is all thanks to the NAS Sigonella’s 1st Lieutenant Division. The Sailors in the division have been working on various beautification projects around the base, bringing new life and beauty to the area.

“My guys are building more and more pride with every project.” said Chief Logistics Specialist Vincent Aldrich, 1st Lieutenant Division Leading Chief Petty Officer.

A 1st Lieutenant division typically provides services and support to the command and is sometimes known as the “go to” division, as they handle many diverse projects around the base.

Base beautification, however, is not just the responsibility of the 1st Lieutenant Division, as all personnel are expected to take ownership of the installation and help to keep Sigonella clean and free of trash.

BEFORE

AFTER

Photos provided by LSC Vincent Aldrich

"Italian News" cont’d from Page 8

January 8, 2021

Then, I fell asleep and dreamed of her flying with on her broom across the blue night sky, and sometimes I could even “hear” her sneaking into the houses carrying a bag full of gifts for the good kids and “coal” for the kids that didn’t behave!

Who is she? She is “La Befana,” the Italian version of Santa Claus, a personage both mysterious and arcane. This little old lady with a hooked nose is so dear to children that she has fascinated them for centuries.

Today, they still await her arrival on the night of her holiday.

Her name comes from the word “Epifania,” or Epiphany, the holiday which Italians celebrate on Jan. 6. She is personified by a good witch who comes during the night of Jan. 5, bringing gifts for children according to what they requested the weeks before by writing her little letters, and sweet edible coal candy for the ones who don’t behave.

Epiphany, which celebrates the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ, also commemorates the visit of the Magi (or Three Wise Men) to the infant Jesus, with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The Magi were named Balthazar, Melchior, and Gaspar.

According to the legend, on their journey to Bethlehem, the Magi stopped to ask directions from an old woman who was sweeping and cleaning with a broom. As she asked where they were going, they told her that they were following a star that would lead them to a newborn baby.

They asked her if she would like to come along with them, to which she replied that she was too busy cleaning to go along with such nonsense.

By the time she realized that the newborn was actually Jesus, it was impossible to reach the caravan. Her regret for not having gone along with the wise men was so great that she now spends eternity taking gifts to good children on Christmas, finding the Christ child in all children.

The tradition also says that La Befana knows how the kids behave, so they must watch their manners as the festival nears. Otherwise, instead of finding toys and candy, they may find “sweet coal.” Sometimes, when the parents want to make a joke to their misbehaving kids, they would fill up the stocking with “sugar coal” and give them the gifts right after.

Every year, Epiphany is celebrated throughout Italy with holy masses and festivals featuring parades with costumed figures, blending the Catholic tradition with local folklore. However, this year, in light of the coronavirus pandemic, public celebrations were canceled. Nevertheless, rest assured that kids still got their presents from La Befana anyway!

11 “Players" cont’d from Page 9

SIGONELLA TOPPERS WINNERS: Outstanding Debut in a Play: Justice Smith in multiple roles Outstanding Military Performance in a Play: PO2 David Lane in multiple roles

SIGONELLA TOPPERS NOMINEES: Outstanding Costume Design for a Play: Kelly Todd Outstanding Stage Manager of a Play: Mary Dunlap & Nancy Hines Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play Jada Henley Stephanie McCutcheon-Kalish Justice Smith Outstanding Supporting Performance in a Play Sierra Lewis Megan Mills PO1 David Olvera

Outstanding Actor in a Play PO3 Jordayn Fisher Outstanding Military Performance in a Play Senior Airman Queen-Alexxas Bradley Outstanding Director of a Play Jeanne Ragonese

“Chandler" cont’d from Page 7

they take me where I need to go, and they try to give me as much creative space as they possibly can to do my own thing, and I’m really appreciative of that,” she says. “Had I never done Sig’s Got Talent, I would have never really started singing in front of people. Had I not listened back then, I would not be nearly when I am now.”

She also admires the teachers who gave her room to grow and make mistakes, and she is grateful for her friends who support her and write songs with her.

passion. “I want to keep it going with all the upward momentum that I’ve had since the beginning of this year while also having a plan.”

Sitting at a table outside the base food court, Averi reflects on how being a part of the Sigonella community for ten years has influenced her journey. “Since we were in a smaller place, everybody already knew me. I could sing in front of people I already knew, and it gave me more confidence,” she says, referring to the talent show that started it all.

LOOKING FORWARD AND BACK She gestures to the parking lot behind her, adding, “I After this year, Averi hopes to attend the University can come back when I’m in college or whatever, and I can of South Florida to study English and social studies just look at this base and see the story of my life play out. education while continuing to pursue her musical My music started just right over there.”