A Columbus Day Message From Maria Bartiromo

The 2011 New York City Columbus Day parade starts Monday, Oct. 10, 11:30 a.m., on Fifth Avenue and 47th Street and runs to 72nd Street. Wall Street reporter and journalist Maria Bartiromo on what the parade means to her and why she loves hosting it.The Columbus Day parade and Columbus weekend are incredibly important to me because I'm very proud of my Italian American heritage. My grandfather came to this country in 1919 on a ship from Naples called the Rex. He sailed to America and did what he did in Italy. He was a bricklayer, a construction worker.

He built a restaurant and he named it Rex Manor, after the ship that he came to the country on and that was my first job. I was the coat check girl at the Rex Manor. And I'm so proud of the work ethic that I learned from my family that I will do anything that the Italian American community asks me to do because I just feel it's a way for me to give back.

So the Columbus Day parade and hosting that parade are a complete departure from anything I do in my regular day job, which is business and the economy, but I love it because I love the people and I love the proud work ethic of the Italian American community.

Editor's Note: This is an edited transcript from a genConnect exclusive interview with Maria Bartiromo. Click here to watch the video.

More Videos With Maria Bartiromo:

• Maria's 3 Rules of Success
• America & The Global Economy
• The Weekend That Changed Wall Street