User:Andrew Parodi/talk archive5

Andrew Parodi has been a Wikipedia editor since 2005. He has contributed to many articles over the years, most notably the article about Eva Perón, writing as much as 90% of the article, taking it from a "stub" (brief and undeveloped) article, to a "Good Article." During high school, he had been an exchange student to Argentina, which made this topic a natural choice. Andrew Parodi, who is originally from the California Bay Area, was born to a father, Michael Louis Parodi JR, whose own father was a poor immigrant from Italy. Despite such humble origins, Andrew's father achieved what may be referred to as "The American Dream" when he entered the semiconductor industry in the Silicon Valley in the 1970s, because by the 1990s he had become successful in the industry, eventually holding the position of CEO with various corporations, such as Tegal Corporation. 

Andrew Parodi's stepfather, Arthur Omar Olivo, is another example of an American dream achieved, because he had been born in a migrant camp in Texas, but eventually earned a college degree and worked with Cesar Chavez. Andrew's stepfather later worked for, and attended classes at, Colegio Cesar Chavez, the first Latino college in the United States. At age five, Andrew appeared in an advertisement for Colegio Cesar Chavez, an advertisement now displayed on the Oregon State University website.

Willamette University student Kimberly Hursh opened her 50-page dissertation "A Social History of Colegio Cesar Chavez" by making reference to Andrew in the very first paragraph: "The Colegio ran a bilingual advertisement that intentionally and carefully highlighted the similarities between those people of European and Mexican descent in the town. By turns subtle and blatant - for instance, the ad includes a picture of a little white boy in a cowboy hat playing with Mexican children in traditional Mexican garb - the Colegio's advertisement sought to paint a picture of 'us,' that is, both Mexican and German immigrants, united against 'them,' or the 'mainstream of American life.'" As reported by Statesman Journal, Hursh's dissertation earned her a fellowship, and the essay is now stored on the official website of the State of Oregon. Andrew would later clarify the context of the advertisement in his interview with Oregon State University. .

In contrast to the immigrant background of both Andrew's father and stepfather, Andrew's mother is a direct descendant of William Bradford (Plymouth Colony governor) -- a man who, of course, came across on the Mayflower, is credited with being the originator of the holiday of Thanksgiving Day, coining the term "The Pilgrims," and is referred to as "the father of American history." Andrew's great grandmother, Elsie Ada Hennessy, was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, which means one of Andrew's ancestors fought in the American Revolution.

One of Parodi's hobbies is reviewing books and other items on Amazon.com, where he is one of the top reviewers. His review of the Dale Carnegie classic "How to Win Friends and Influence People" is the top review of this book on Amazon, where it has been "Liked" by over 1600 people. Parodi's review of the Dale Carnegie classic has even been referenced outside of Amazon.com, such as in the article "Thinking About Influence" on the "Learning Consortium". Parodi's Amazon.com review of an episode of Seinfeld even got reprinted in the Chicago Tribune.