It is hard to believe that we wrapped up our first two weeks in Milan already! For our Corporate Social Responsibility course, we had our first debate in class about the profits that banks earn from interest on mortgages. We were challenged to develop arguments for both sides to show how corporate policies are not always black and white. One side defended the need for banks to make profit using interest to fund their operations and pay their employees. The other side defended the need for accessible housing for families that cannot afford high interest rates on mortgages. It was interesting to listen to both sides and reflect on how some transactions in businesses create winners and losers. For the second half, we held open discussions about our weekly Wall Street Journal entries that highlight news articles that involve government and corporations. One of our peers wrote about the concern for chemicals in our food and how state governments have taken action to begin removing them from products. This created conflicts for companies such as Skittles since most corporate leaders do not find state agencies’ involvement in the ban as appropriate. Overall, I believe these topics have shown us how the government, corporations, and the public confront their different interests regarding social issues.

In my internship this week, I was able to demonstrate my skills by taking on projects with more autonomy. I was asked to update English comments on two report presentations and highlight findings in the data that I believed were relevant for the marketing studies. I also had the opportunity to view the data sheets developed from the surveys with the help of one of my coworkers. Although the results were in Italian, my coworker stated that in the upcoming weeks I will learn how to navigate the updated English documents on my own and insert the data into the reports. With most of this week’s work being remote, I had to manage my time outside of the office and remain productive in my tasks. I decided that my best option was to work in the cafe next door from morning until lunch to ensure that I was not distracted in my room. My coworkers also reached out to me during the day to make sure I did not have any questions and knew what time each task was due. In the future, I hope to continue building strong relationships with my coworkers to show my commitment to my role and my interest in their work.

This week has been the most exciting time for traveling and exploring! On Sunday, a group of us decided to take a trip to Monterosso to catch some sun and waves! Some of the activities included indulging in some piña coladas on the beach and snorkeling in the beautiful water. The trip was extremely successful and was a great start to the first of many trips around Italy. On Tuesday, IES organized a trip to The Last Supper exhibition that showcases one of Leonardo DaVinci’s most famous paintings. The artwork was painted on one of the walls in the church of Santa Maria delle Grazie in Milan and is amazingly preserved as an UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Another trip organized by IES was our Lehigh visit to Verona on Italy’s Republic Day (June 2nd). The first stop was the Montresor Winery where we learned about the history of wine in Verona and participated in a wine tasting lunch. From there, we were given a tour by a local veteran of Verona to see the Romeo and Juliet site and the Verona Arena. In the arena, we sang Taylor Swift’s Love Story which received much attention from other tourists visiting. To conclude the week, some of us visited Lugano, Switzerland as our first adventure outside of Italy. Although we nearly missed our morning train and ran around the station at 11 in the morning, I would say the trip was a great success due to the breathtaking scenery and savory foods. I look forward to seeing how these upcoming weeks will top these spectacular experiences!