by Beniamina Cassetta

The Journey Begins: From Iowa to Milan 

Beniamina Cassetta: What are you doing now, and how did you get here? 
Veronica Mashek: I’m currently the Senior International Recruiter and Partnership Manager at Concordia University Saint Paul, Minnesota. My experience as an ISEP exchange student at Università Cattolica is what propelled me to this position. That year changed everything. 

BC: Was it your first time abroad? 
VM: I’d travelled a bit with family before, but Cattolica was my first real independent experience. It was the first time I had to function on my own, and I absolutely loved it. I remember the dorm, using my card to get in at night, the amazing meals, putting Nutella on fresh bread in the morning and dipping it into coffee... I remember the beauty of the campus and how welcoming the Marianum dorm was. The support we got as international students really set us up for success. 

BC: Was the Milan city-campus format difficult to adjust to? 
VM: Not at all! I’m from a small town in Iowa where everyone drives because there’s no public transportation. But I went to the University of Iowa for a big-city experience, and Milan being a big city was a huge draw. I loved that the campus was embedded in the city. It felt real, alive. While I was there, I took art classes, and they were incredible. One class even organized a trip to view paintings in person, which was just mind-blowing. Seeing art in real life, not in a textbook, especially in Italy, was amazing. 

From Student to Global Citizen 

BC: What are the biggest differences between studying and working abroad? 
VM: So many. I used to be painfully shy, I hated speaking up in class, hated talking to strangers. Cattolica forced me (in the best way) to open up. Studying abroad gave me room to grow, while still having university support. It was the perfect stepping stone. 

BC: You lived in 6 different countries: Italy, Japan, Taiwan, Chile, China, and Thailand. What’s the best part about starting over in a new country? 
VM: Learning everything again. Things like reading a bus schedule or a metro map. Milan was the first city where I used a metro, and it gave me the confidence that if I could navigate it in Italian, I could do it anywhere. 

BC: You first job was as English teacher in Japan. How did it come about? 
VM: Right after graduating, I applied to the JET Programme to teach English in Japan. The group interview was intimidating, everyone else had studied Japanese language or culture, and I hadn’t. During the interview, I explained that I had already lived overseas, studied in Italian, lived with locals... I’d proven I could adapt. And I got the job. 
I moved to Japan without knowing a single word of Japanese. Same with other countries too, I only spoke very little Spanish. It’s always helpful to learn the language, but you can absolutely go without it. The most important thing is being open. 

BC: Did you always want to become an international recruiter? 
VM: Not at all! I didn’t even know this job existed. After moving back to the U.S. during the pandemic, I searched for study abroad jobs. Then I saw a listing for “International Recruiter,” and I thought: “Wait, we can bring students in, too?” I applied and fell in love with it. 

BC: What do students and parents ask you the most? 
VM: Food! They worry they won’t find anything good. But here in Saint Paul, there are over 80 languages spoken in public schools. We’ve got great international restaurants—even Michelin-star ones! But yes, students still try to smuggle sausages and cheeses in their luggage. I completely understand that, food is always a culture shock. For instance, in the U.S. we grow up thinking carbs are bad. Then you go to Italy, and you find pasta and bread every meal. It blew my mind. I had to completely rethink my ideas about food.  

Say Yes to Everything 

BC: Is there a life lesson from study abroad that you still live by? 
VM: Say yes to everything. Even if you’re scared. I said yes to a dorm trip to Munich. I said yes to €11 pizza nights with unlimited wine. I said yes to going to an art museum with a class of Italian students, even though I was the only foreigner. Saying yes created some of the best experiences of my life. 

BC: Do you think social media affects how students experience study abroad? 
VM: Yes. Students build expectations based on what they see online. But when they arrive, it’s different. Not worse, not bad—just different. Before I left to Cattolica, an advisor told me: “Focus on one thing you want to do.” So, I chose one thing: to eat real Italian pizza. Whenever I started overplanning, I just reminded myself of that. It helped me stay grounded. 

BC: What’s the biggest misconception about studying abroad? 
VM: That it’s just a party. People think it’s all pizza and wine every night. But it’s also hard. You have to study, make friends, take difficult exams. It’s work. It’s absolutely worthwhile, beautiful, unforgettable work, but still work. 
 

Looking Ahead 

BC: What’s next for you? 
VM: I plan to start my Ed.D. in Educational Leadership. And I want to keep pushing both sides of international education: bringing students to the U.S. and sending U.S. students abroad. We have programmes like “Bear Buddies” (the bear is our mascot) to help students connect with American peers. We want them to feel part of the community. When you have both local and international friends, the experience is so much richer. 

BC: Would you consider moving abroad again? 
VM: Not right now. I travel more for this job than I did while living abroad! Last year I went to Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, China, India, Nepal, and Vietnam. 
And yes—I try all the food. Always. 

BC: What is a final thought you would like to share? 
VM: Every student should study abroad. I wouldn’t have gotten the job in Japan without Cattolica. That experience opened the door to everything else that followed. It truly changed my life.