Growing up in Pittsburgh, Maria Palmer '03 idolized her father, Joseph Costanzo Jr., the owner of the popular Primadonna Restaurant who reinvented himself by building a world-renowned Italian restaurant. Costanzo was rose to fame as a successful restaurateur who was heavily involved in the Pittsburgh community, but he experienced a sharp fall, eventually serving time in a federal prison for tax evasion. It was an eye-opening incident for Palmer, whose upcoming book, On the Rocks, recounts her father's rise and fall. Having an incarcerated father ignited a passion in Palmer to advocate for marginalized members of society. It's a far cry from the career Palmer envisioned when she was studying public relations at Syracuse University. Palmer shares why she's driven to help those less fortunate as a community advocate, her work connecting children with their incarcerated parents, how Syracuse influenced her career, and how she's making a difference for at-risk citizens in Paterson, N.J. as a grant writer/development associate for St. Paul’s Community Development Corporation.
