My dad was a journalist. Long ago, in the halcyon days of the nineties, he presented a popular radio programme in Philadelphia. Later, he worked as a producer and content manager.

Then, Joe gave it up — to become a stay at home dad for me and my two siblings. Over the next two decades, he began a second career as a teacher, but never lost his love for radio.

He passed that love on to me — I remember listening to the BBC World Service cover the independence referendum in 2014 and being fascinated by the high stakes political drama unfolding an ocean away.

Growing up in the New Jersey suburbs, my parents taught me about the importance of truth and standing up for what was right.

As a pre-teen, I’d produce my own newspapers; typing out stories on a Windows 2003 desktop computer, and printing copies before stapling them together for distribution.

I ran a serious news organisation — with my two siblings serving as deputies.

Jump cut. It’s the spring of 2021. We're now living in Scotland, and I don’t know what I want to do with my life. Entering university, I had planned to become a minister, like my mother, but soon realised the clergy didn’t suit me.

Then, I fell in love.

Josh with his father Joe (Image: Josh Pizzuto-Pomaco)

It’s perhaps a manifestation of my youthful naivety, but it’s hard not to be romantic about........

© Herald Scotland