Down the memory lane
OUTBOUND STUDENTS
MICHELE MATERNI
What are the main factors that drove you to study abroad/carry out an exchange experience?
I have always liked the idea of exploring a different culture and environment - my mum had been taking me on yearly summer trips to the United Kingdom since I was eleven years old. However, the determining factor that “pushed me over the edge” was my late mentor, Università Cattolica Professor Federico Stella, who introduced me to core principles of the American legal system that made me eager to learn more about American law. I shared my desire with Professor Stella, who encouraged me to pursue this interest, and put me on the path that would ultimately lead me to study at Harvard Law School.
If you could choose ONE word to describe the reason WHY you decided to study abroad which word would it be and why?
ADVENTURE
To quote J.R.R. Tolkien, “You step onto the road, and . . . there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.” Studying abroad represented possibility, excitement, discovery, and growth. All that, I believe, is captured by the word “adventure.”
How would you describe your study/exchange experience?
My study abroad experience was wonderful.
I was exposed to a brand new world, to people from more countries than I can remember, to different and new ways of thinking that contributed immensely to the person I have become. The level of growth that an exchange experience allows truly is remarkable. I would recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to study abroad to do so without any reservations whatsoever.
If you could choose ONE word to describe your study abroad/exchange experience which word would it be and why?
LIFE-CHANGING
My study abroad programme was the first time I visited the United States, and I fell in love with the country immediately. Living there allowed me not only to experience a brand new world but also to significantly improve my English. All this set the foundations that would allow me, a few years later, to undertake a master’s degree programme and a doctoral programme at Harvard Law School, which ultimately led to me to my current position as a litigator at Sullivan & Cromwell in New York City - a place I now call home.
CHIARA GIACOMUZZI
What are the main factors that drove you to study abroad/carry out an exchange experience?
After completing a Master in Piano in 2009 and a Master in Modern Philology with honours in 2011, I started to work as a relief teacher in different schools in the city where I grew up, Brescia. I enjoyed my job, but I felt something was missing from my life experience. Having lived 25 years in Brescia and nowhere else, I felt incomplete.
When Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Brescia, promoted a scholarship to live and work in Victoria, Australia, as an Italian Language Assistant Teacher, I did not hesitate and I applied immediately. In Brescia, I had volunteered as an Italian Language Assistant with a couple of associations that organise Italian courses and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Therefore, I thought that my thirst for travelling and life experience overseas, my desire to teach the Italian language and culture (which are my true passions) and also my determination to improve my English skills were acceptable reasons to leave my home and my family for nine months in 2012.
Little did I know that after two years I would go back to Melbourne to study for the Diploma of Education (Secondary) thanks to a scholarship offered by Rotary Club 2050 and that after nine years I would have settled down in Melbourne.
If you could choose ONE word to describe the reason WHY you decided to carry out this programme which word would it be and why?
THIRST
As mentioned before, after completing my higher tertiary studies, I felt that I still needed to experience something more and explore before settling in. I was thirsty with curiosity about ‘what else other than Brescia,’ getting out of my comfort zone while still doing something I love. Working in a school in Australia for nine months sounded like the perfect way to satisfy both this deep thirst and my passions at the same time. This programme gave me an incredible opportunity and I will always be grateful to Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore for it.
How would you describe your experience abroad?
My experience was incredible and life-changing. I always tell everyone that 2012 was a starting point of a new chapter of my life because something clicked inside me that year.
All Italian assistants were sent to different parts of Victoria, especially Melbourne, to work in a school for nine months. I was sent to a little country town called Daylesford, 115 km from Melbourne, with 2500 inhabitants and no train station. My English skills were quite rusty at the time and my personality was shy and reserved.
I worked in the local secondary school with two lovely Italian teachers whom I am still in contact with and I consider part of my warm Australian family. I felt welcomed from the beginning and, despite the initial challenges - language barrier, some cultural differences and the lack of independence in terms of transport - after only a few months, I discovered a new Chiara. I made countless life-long friends, I grew so much as a teacher, my English skills dramatically improved and I never felt that confident. The local organisation that runs the programme, Co.As. It., was very efficient in supporting all the assistants across Victoria, so I always felt safe. The bond that emerged among the assistants was very strong and I am still in regular contact with some of them, even if they no longer live in Australia.
If you could choose ONE word to describe your experience abroad which word would it be and why?
REVOLUTIONARY
This programme has changed my life and me. The opportunity to live and work abroad in a new context, in my case, a little country town where nobody spoke Italian and where, at the time, my English skills were not extraordinary, forced me to keep pushing and challenging myself in ways that I never felt before. This whole experience made me see a new strength within myself and made me realise how much I would have missed out if I had never left Brescia.
Of course, some compromises and sacrifices need (still now) to be made. However, I would strongly recommend an overseas experience like the one organised by Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore to everyone.
ANISSA ELEUTERIO
What are the main factors that drove you to study abroad/carry out an exchange experience?
Pursuing a degree in Linguistic Sciences and Foreign Literatures, a study abroad experience seemed essential for a full understanding of the culture(s) I was specialising in and to perfect my language skills. I was eager to take a deep dive into American culture, experience a different teaching and learning style, refine my speaking skills, and immerse myself in a new, stimulating environment.
Not to mention, a study abroad experience is a life experience, and a life-changing one at that. As someone who grew up as a self-described American wannabe, having the opportunity to study abroad in the USA during both my bachelor's and master's degreewas not only a rewarding experience that contributed to my personal and academic growth, but it also shaped my career and elevated my professional profile. Years later, as I answer these questions from my home office in Washington, DC, I can attest to how my study abroad experiences led me to where I am today.
If you could choose ONE word to describe the reason WHY you decided to study abroad which word would it be and why?
EAGERNESS
I was eager. Eager to experience what it would be like to live in a country that I had never been to before but had read so much about and whose history and literature was the fabric of my everyday life. Eager to experience the culture, interact with the locals, pick up their accent and immerse myself in the American way of life.
How would you describe your study/exchange experience?
I have had the fortune to participate in two study abroad programmes and to undertake an internship abroad during my academic career. While all three were amazing opportunities, the first study abroad experience is the one that left the deepest impression.
My time at the University of Vermont in 2013 was simply magical. Surrounded by snow-peaked mountains, the college town of Burlington took me in with open arms and immediately felt like home. The campus was something out of a postcard and going to class, even on the most frigid of days (and there were a lot) was always a delight. The hands-on seminar approach to learning encouraged me to engage with my professors and my peers and challenged me to become an active participant rather than a passive learner. As a result of this experience, I gained a deeper understanding of American culture and made life-long friends from across the world. I will always look back this time fondly.
If you could choose ONE word to describe your study abroad/exchange experience which word would it be and why?
EYE-OPENING
My experiences abroad taught me a lot - about literature, culture, communications, but they also taught me a lot about myself. There’s something about being alone in a completely new environment that takes you out of your comfort zone and brings out sides of you of which you may not have been aware. It’s a confidence-building exercise that nurtures a spirit of independence and fast tracks personal growth. In many ways, my study abroad experiences made me who I am today and gave me the strength, courage and confidence to later pursue a life and career abroad.
INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
ELENA CIPRIETTI
What are the main factors that drove you to study abroad/carry out an exchange experience?
I had the incredible opportunity to study abroad in 2009. I visited Italy for the first time in 2006 on a high school trip and knew I wanted to live there the minute I stepped off the plane. I spent the next three years taking shorter trips to different parts of Italy, but nothing felt right for a longer period of time like a semester. I planned to move to Italy after graduation, and I wanted to find a place and a programme that would allow me to master my language skills, meet locals and establish connections to then come back and work. I also did an internship which helped me learn about how a business operates in Italy. I received far more than I wished for, and I was able to set the ball in motion. I moved to Milan two years later for a master's at Università Cattolica and I’m still here 10 years later!
If you could choose ONE word to describe the reason WHY you decided to study abroad which word would it be and why?
EXPANSION
How would you describe your study/exchange experience?
It was completely life-changing. I felt right at home as soon as I got there, and I seized every opportunity that was presented to me. I didn’t want to miss anything! I felt so excited going to my first day of class with Italian students, and every day felt like an adventure. I challenged myself to focus on friendships with Italians so that I could improve my skills and get to know more about the culture. I am still in touch with some friends I made all these years later, and we reunite here in Milan!
If you could choose ONE word to describe your study abroad/exchange experience which word would it be and why?
KISMET
DAVID PAULL
What are the main factors that drove you to study abroad/carry out an exchange experience?
I had been learning Italian since I was six years old so I would often sit there in class as a little boy dreaming of one day going to live in Italy for a short period. I went on a high school exchange when I was 15 years old for two months in Marsala, Sicily. It was an amazing experience, but I knew deep down I wanted to have a longer experience living in Italy. My experience in the South of Italy was incredible, they are some of the friendliest and most hospitable people I had ever met. But I knew this time I wanted a different Italian experience, living in the North. When I found out that university student exchange was even possible, I pretty much changed my whole life plans to make this happen. I.e., I aimed to do super well in my grades at high school and university just to have this experience. I also had a casual job at McDonald’s throughout high school and university to save up enough money to go on exchange for two semesters. It was a big sacrifice for me, but I have absolutely zero regrets.
If you could choose ONE word to describe the reason WHY you decided to study abroad which word would it be and why?
PASSION
I was so passionate about learning the Italian language, Italian culture, and society, I couldn’t see myself doing anything else in life, to be honest. It was this passion inside of me to learn and experience anything and everything about Italy which compelled me to go on student exchange.
How would you describe your study/exchange experience?
Wow, what an adventure! I saw so many incredible things and met amazing, interesting, funny people, with whom some I am still in contact today. We share a special and unique bond that nobody or nothing can take away from us. There were of course some challenging moments in adjusting to another culture and university system, but I honestly don’t remember them. All I remember is the positive experiences and memories! I also lived in an all-boys dorm college of Università Cattolica where most of the residents were Italian, so I had the ideal balance of socialising both with Italian and fellow exchange students. I did however take advantage of being centrally based in Milan and travelled throughout Europe, even as far as Russia and Turkey. However, the special thing about the experience was not travelling, it was the day-to-day experience of living in Milan, hanging out with friends, going to university. It’s something that no amount of tourism can ever give you.
If you could choose ONE word to describe your study abroad/exchange experience which word would it be and why?
LIFE-CHANGING
It was the best and most memorable experience of my life. It completely changed the trajectory of my life and it still does today. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without this experience. I also wouldn’t be doing what I do professionally and academically (I work and research the field of international education) if it wasn’t for my exchange in Milan. The beautiful thing about the experience was that I didn’t just learn about Italian culture, but cultures from all over the world through the friendships I made. For example, my exchange in Milan inspired me to learn Spanish when I returned home, and I’ve recently learnt Portuguese. From there, I have done further experiences abroad in Latin America and even taught English in Seville, Spain. I have also nearly finished my PhD on international students from Southern Europe and Latin America. The origin of this inspiration: my experience in Milan. In short, I owe this experience everything and I will continue to treasure these special bonds and memories for eternity.
NIKKI & KYLE ROSSI
What are the main factors that drove you to study abroad/carry out an exchange experience?
N: It was very unexpected. I went to university not expecting to study abroad but then I picked international studies in my third year and I was required to study abroad. My mum encouraged me to a study abroad semester as opposed to doing a shorter experience (summer programme). I picked Italy so I could take fashion courses and it linked nicely because now my job is in the fashion industry. Cat-tolica just fit the courses that I wanted to take so that they could count at home.
K: I'm fortunate to have an Italian family, as my surname suggests. I had never lived in Italy before, nor had I ever stayed there for such a long period of time but through my course, I learned about the opportunity to study in Milan and I just couldn't turn it down. I had always just been in England so my decision was about experiencing a new culture, learning a new language, living the beauty of the city, making international friends, and above all, about experiencing a change at that time. During my time, I man-aged to go on holiday and visit friends all over. Overall it was about having a different experience.
If you could choose ONE word to describe the reason WHY you decided to study abroad which word would it be and why?
N: DIVERSITY
I wanted to diversify: my experiences, the people that I was around, the language that I was hearing. Diversifying overall was what I wanted to do with my space.
K: CHANGE
I wanted to change my language, I wanted to change the culture, I wanted to change my experiences. I was fortu-nate enough to live in such an amazing place, I would wake up and I was in the centre of Milan, that's very dif-ferent to where I grew up – I had that beauty and that culture right at my doorstep.
How would you describe your study/exchange experience?
N: I would say that it was life-changing. I started as a much different person. When it came to interacting with new people, putting myself out into new experiences and opening myself up to everything I was very reserved. I just let life happen to me. But then I decided I was going to do life now which is what Italy brought me and what Uni-versità Cattolica brought me and the relationships I made there. Everything in my life changed. I also chose Milan for the connections I had in the fashion industry.
K: Other than obviously getting married, it was the best experience of my life. So second best. I made amazing friends for life from this experience and the University was amazing with me. I always look back at those days. We even have Spotify playlists that we listen to wherever we go. The songs remind me of the times that we had aperi-tivo and enjoyed Milan. Or another time, when we went out to Lake Como for the day and it was beautiful. I just think it was amazing.
If you could choose ONE word to describe your study abroad/exchange experience which word would it be and why?
N: GROWTH
I had never left the country before. I had never lived very far from my family. I had moved a lot in the USA, between dif-ferent States but that was it. Also, I never had to deal with money by myself before. I was a nanny a few times a week in Milan which opened me up to more than just university life, I was exposed to a different lifestyle. I started my social media profiles a little before I left for Milan, so I started putting myself out there, I started exposing my personal life online. At home, everything was very “secure” whilst stud-ying abroad gave me the chance to be whoever I wanted to be without feeling pressured or judged. I just opened myself up to personal growth and self-confidence.
K: HAPPINESS
I spent a whole year just smiling. I was so happy and I think what's nice is that when you go somewhere and you don't know anyone else, you are completely yourself. The friends you make, the time you spend together is pure and natural. I remember just waking up, I was just happy, I had so much time to just be an independent person. What was great was that everyone was happy and there for the same reason. Happiness - it was the happiest year of my life. It changed my life. It was something I had never experienced and I found my whole future from it.