This week in the Corporate Social Responsibility course, I enjoyed our discussion on the article about how companies verify their products are sustainable. I really never thought about this before and will pay more attention to whether the products I am buying are actually doing good. One term I will remember and always keep in mind is that “talk is cheap.” As a marketing major, I think it is so important to find a balance between reaching consumers and nudging them to buy your product, especially for children. When we discussed how gender plays into a board of directors, I at first couldn’t answer why there should be more women on a board. Then, when Livi stated how that shouldn’t be the question and the real question should be why not, I completely agreed. When Professor Gupta went into how this is the same for diversity in an organization, I also thought this should be the consistent mindset. It is about who is most qualified for the role and can put in the time and dedication to get to that point. I also thought the video we watched on corporations made me think a lot about the role of corporations and how they affect our communities. Some of the images shocked me surrounding how companies are getting their products to consumers. I was shocked when some CEOs had never been to the factories they use. The most interesting aspect of the video to me was how employees and board members of a corporation can want to help our environment but act as part of its destruction. As we move into the job market and potentially apply to more corporations, I am definitely going to think about these implications.

This past week in the internship seminar, I enjoyed learning more about Italian culture, specifically their schooling and work life. I thought it was interesting to hear how Italians think about college and politics. In America, people have so much pride in their school and will wear clothing to represent that pride. In Italy, it seems that college is mainly for education, and once they choose their areas of study, that is pretty much set in stone. This is a crazy concept to me as I just decided on my double major in management and marketing, and even with that, I could change my mind still through the next semester. There are positives and negatives to each, but I do agree with the fact that we like what we are accustomed to and will prefer our own cultures. I think in politics in America, we are more divided, and people have very different opinions that are hard to change. Overall, there are so many comparisons between the different cultures, and I am happy to be experiencing a new perspective during this program.

This week at my internship, Sophie and I are both making presentations on our data analysis from last week. In my internship, they used a different workspace platform called Miro, and it has been a challenge trying to adjust. But everyone is so helpful, and even today we got a crash course in how to design a high-quality presentation. We also have been researching different companies to compare to Off Campus in case studies. I have done research in the past, but organizing it in a case study is new to me and a great learning experience. I am excited to present our data and ideas on how the Sospesa project can be improved next week.

Since my last post, I have been enjoying walking around the canals and trying new foods. I am also trying to learn how to cook and have made a few edible meals. Sophie and I went to a cafe near our office and got cappuccinos, which were delicious. I am proud we can now order in Italian and get by. I also watched my younger sister’s graduation online. I was sad to miss it in person, but I am so glad to have been able to watch it live and hear her amazing speech. I am so excited for her to go off to college and see the things she will accomplish and the amazing people she will meet. I am so happy to be a part of this group from Lehigh; everyone is so kind and fun to be with. In the past few days, I also tried a sushi restaurant and went to the Bridgerton cafe to get gelato, and everything was so good. This weekend I am excited because we are going to Nice and Monte Carlo!