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Order of the Star of Italy

Order of the Star of Italy


In December, Anthony Forlini (B.B.A. ’84, Marketing) became Sir Anthony Forlini when he was conferred as a Knight in the Order of the Star of Italy by the President of Italy, Sergio Mattarella, at a ceremony performed by Dr. Maria Luisa Lapresa, Consul of Italy in Detroit.

Forlini most recently served in the Michigan House of Representatives before he term limited out last year. Previously he served as supervisor for Harrison Twp., MI, and has had a financial service firm for over 35 years.

His road to politics, and eventually being knighted, however, was not exactly a straight path. Forlini started his studies in community college and after taking a career assessment test was told the careers that matched his personality best were army general, funeral home director, or business.

“I’ll try this business route,” he said. Eventually, Forlini found his way to WMU. He was the first in his family to attend college and Kalamazoo was the farthest west anyone in his family had ever gone.

“The first night on campus, I pinched myself…” Forlini recalled. “I had worked really hard to get there and I felt like it was a major accomplishment. I was so proud to go to WMU.”

As a student, Forlini focused his studies in the areas of business management until a recruiter encouraged him to study marketing, but it was when he became Davis Hall President that he realized he had an interest in politics. He decided to hold off on becoming a politician until he had more life experience.

“WMU was instrumental in forming my brain to be more worldly than what I had experienced.” Forlini said. “I credit a lot of my experiences to WMU.”

After graduating from WMU, Forlini started his career with Land O Lakes and then found his way into financial planning. In 2004, 20 years after graduating from WMU, he decided he was ready to run for public office as Harrison Township Supervisor.

As a representative in the Michigan house, Forlini bolstered a connection between Italy and the Metro Detroit area, highlighting the Italian language and culture. Because of his efforts, Italian is now taught in several area school districts, and several Italian businesses have set up shop in the area. Forlini has also been involved in a documentary about the sinking of the Andrea Dora, was recognized at the Italian Parliament, and had the opportunity to speak with the media at the Salerno Film Festival.

His advice to students or young people interested in politics is simple and straight from the heart:

“Put off politics until you’ve had enough life experiences to understand people; their heartaches, their problems. It’s not philosophical; it’s about knowing what it’s like to pay a mortgage or send your kids to college or save for retirement. You have to understand their struggles.”

To learn more about Sir Anthony Forlini and his Italian Knighthood, please click here