The final week of CSR classes was dedicated to final presentations. I appreciated that the final presentation and paper were related. I drafted my portion of the paper before I started the presentation, making the presentation easier to generate and present. I was then able to revise my paper after getting feedback about my presentation, maximizing my overall understanding. My group’s research topic was about data privacy on social media, and how to balance it between individuals and corporations. I have always been weary about sharing too much information on social media because it could easily get in the wrong hands. My reservations had always revolved around other users, but this topic showed me how the social media platforms themselves may be the biggest enemy. This topic was very eye opening, and I appreciated the opportunity to learn more about data privacy rights. It was also interesting to hear from my classmates about their prospective research topics and see how they tied their issues to corporate social responsibility. As a result of the presentations I realized how much CSR relates to all aspects of business, and once this class ends I will continue to recognize the impact that corporations have on society. 

The internship seminar was similar to CSR this week, and we spent the majority of class presenting our final projects. Each group had the autonomy to choose their research topic and focus, which made the presentations more engaging because everyone was interested in what they presented. Interestingly, many groups choose to study sustainability in Italy. I personally was amazed by how prevalent sustainability initiatives are in Italy, something that is not prioritized in the US. These presentations developed my understanding of Italian sustainability beyond what I picked up on by living here for 8 weeks. The first part of the internship seminar was focused on the interview process, which I think was a great learning experience. I have had a few interviews previously and as an intern for the Center for Career and Professional Development I have learned about the logistics, but I always appreciate when a well versed individual shares their personal experience and advice (like Professor Gupta here). 

The final week of my internship is about tying everything together that I have learned and worked on over the course of two months. My internship advisor was pleased with the studies and reports I found on scholarly databases like JSTOR. These links will help the CHIARA team because they explore women’s health in international border towns or each separately and can use past studies as reference when in the analysis phase. Since the data collection is not at the stage that was anticipated when I started the internship, I could not do too much coding. On Tuesday, I met with my internship advisor to do what we could with the data. Earlier that morning, the group went to the Politecnico di Milano for our final time. We got a personalized tour of the chemical engineering laboratory. It was an amazing experience and the lab is working on prosthetics and cardiovascular devices. Seeing the innovation and efforts of the lab was inspiring. To wrap up this interview experience Rory, Mahan and I are meeting with our advisor on Friday to present our internship reports and walk through all we accomplished. Since I am getting a degree in both Population Health and Economics, I was excited to experience one of my degrees in the real world. While I enjoyed my internship, I am interested in getting an internship next summer that revolves around economics to see if I like the field better. 

Split, Croatia was the destination of choice for the last weekend of my European summer. The trip was really quick because of the flight options from MXP to Split, and I was up at 3:30am on Friday to catch my flight. As soon as I arrived in Split, I realized that I have never seen anything quite like it. The architecture was beachy but still had authentic old european architecture, which was a beautiful combination. We spent the first day at a beach club about 2 miles from Old Town, and we walked there along the water. The summer adventure continued and we spent Saturday afternoon on a boat, swimming off the coast of Croatia in beautiful Blue Lagoons. The trip was the perfect combination of relaxing and fun. During the day I was able to finish my 7th book of the summer (a running record) and at night I got to explore the city. We ended up playing cards for 3+ hours on Saturday, which may have been my favorite part of the trip. I feel like I have spent the last 7 weeks trying to become a part of Milan, so I avoided the tourist attractions. The rest of the week I plan on enjoying what I love about Milan as an exchange student but will hopefully get tickets to go inside the Duomo (and be a bit of a tourist). It is bittersweet to say goodbye to this chapter, but I am excited to rest and recuperate for the next month before I go back to school for OL training.

This is the last week of learning course material in the CSR course before we start presentations next week. I have found that I prefer when we dive into one corporation or topic in depth, so I was enthusiastic about the Apple case study. Learning about the ethical violations that occur in the factories of Apple’s main suppliers was surprising. This course challenges me to consider my role in CSR as a stakeholder because while I am unwilling to sell my iphone, I am disgusted by the case study’s findings. There has to be so much change in the world to completely satisfy CSR’s mission, but small changes can make big changes in the long term. Furthermore, the Erin Brockovich film was not only a great movie, but very applicable to the course objectives. Learning about a real case in the US was informative and engaging in a movie format. It led to a good conversation in class, and I appreciate hearing other classmates’ opinions and takeaways.  

Last Thursday we had an internship networking event with all of IES. The event occurred at a nice hotel about 30 minutes from Aparto, and all internship advisors were invited. When the event started we did a networking bingo game to get to know various employers professionally. The game was followed by an aperitivo so we could get to know the employers informally. This was a cultural difference because most events in the US are entirely formal, but it was a nice reminder that all professionals have a life outside of work. The event was a success overall, and I am happy with my efforts to be more outgoing. Furthermore, the coursework allowed me to further reflect on the values that I appreciate in the workplace. I appreciate how the internship seminar makes us reflect on our intrinsic values and motivations because they are intertwined with the skills employed when working. 

I am using my meeting that I had with the CHIARA team last week as a stepping stone for this week. I was happy to be given feedback from the SDSU researchers so that I could tailor my internship more to what they were looking for. For example, I realized that they were more urban planners and environmental scientists, so they were looking for some advice from someone who is more statistically inclined. I am continuing to research studies that have explored women’s health on borders previously, seeing how they did statistical analysis and what they looked for in their study. Knowing what struggles and feats that occurred in these studies could be beneficial for improving CHIARA’s study design. Beyond more literature research, I am taking the time to write out specific correlations that are worth exploring. Having these as a guideline will help the team once my internship is over. Specifically, I am writing down the correlations and offering advice for what statistical analysis methods to use. Logistic regression, linear regression, etc. 

After the chaos of last weekend, we decided to stick to day trips this weekend. On Friday, I went to Lake Como. I was amazed to learn that it was only a 40 minute train ride from Milano Centrale, and the ticket cost only $10! We spent the day having lunch on the water, walking around the streets, and taking a private boat ride. The boat ride was 2 hours and our driver, Leonardo, took the time to tell us about all the expensive villas we were passing. My personal favorite was one owned by a Russian family, and it was built into a cliff. A crazy coincidence was that he went to Bocconi University in Milan, just a 5 minute walk from Aparto. After we explored the lake, we got to swim in it which was so refreshing considering the heat. After being home for a mere 7 hours, I was on the road again to Monterosso, Cinque Terre. The weather turned out to be quite overcast, but it was still a beautiful place. The village was perfectly built and felt whimsical. I found a ceramic store with pottery made in Cinque Terre, so I bought 2 things that I love! Hopefully I can transport them back home in one piece. I loved swimming in the water and relaxing the beach, ending the day with some delicious pesto pasta (which reminded me of home). Having Sunday to relax and catch up on school work was a great end to the weekend, and I felt ready to conquer the week ahead.

In the CSR class we looked at stakeholder capitalism, and whether or not it was possible. This was an interesting topic because we talk a lot about ethics and what corporations should be doing to achieve corporate social responsibility; however, we also have to consider if the solutions are feasible. The Business Roundtable is one way that companies can commit to implementing CSR in their business strategy. One side of the debate argued that it allows companies to do better and really works while the other side argued that companies are not held to any standards or regulations once they sign it, ultimately just doing it for show. This enriched my knowledge in the course because it displayed that CSR is not a surface level promise, rather it is a major shift in corporations management and business strategies. 

This week I had the opportunity to meet with the Metabolism of Cities team in San Diego. San Diego is the headquarters of the company because a lot of the research is based at SDSU, and the director of Metabolism of Cities is a professor there. Since the time difference is 9 hours, it has been difficult to coordinate a time for me to meet with them; however, since we did not have the internship seminar I was able to meet with them at 7pm on Tuesday. I had a great time getting to know the members of the San Diego team and they shared some really insightful information. They are frontiering the CHIARA project because the city is close to the US-Mexico border. I asked them questions about what they want from me, and we decided that I would do more literature review on previous health studies on various borders and to distinguish the criteria of an outlier in a data set. Additionally, I made remarks on things I noticed such as gaps in the data and issues with data transfer, so they know what to fix before sending the survey to a larger group. This meeting was a big boost in morale for the remainder of my internship. 

A group of 8 of us went to Nice, France and it was probably my favorite city I have visited thus far. I am really struggling with where to go abroad in the spring (harder decision than where to go to college), so I am happy to say that I have narrowed my choices to London and Paris. This weekend helped with that because I loved French culture and could see myself being immersed in it. Specifically, I found the French to be really funny and loved their deadpan humor. Also, they were very friendly, invalidating the stigma that they are rude to tourists. I also loved how lively the city was. On Friday, there were 3 major events going on. First, it was the summer solstice which the French celebrate by partying on the streets with a bunch of live music. It was also the Pride Parade and France had a football match, so it was a great weekend to go! Leaving Italy for the weekend made me a little nervous about the reverse culture shock that I will experience when I go home. For example, in France we had to wait for the check at the table. While I have been doing that my entire life it really shocked me, and I can’t begin to imagine how I will feel when I am back in the states. However, this was definitely a chaotic week in terms of cultural immersion. On the first day, I had to retrace a 30 minute walk back to the Airbnb from the beach based on memory alone because our phones died. That night we had to call French Emergency Services after men were trying to get into our Airbnb. Long story short we stayed at a hotel the next night, and I still had a great time this weekend!

This week we discussed whether corporations were pathological. The method of discussion was a debate, in which my group was chosen for. We argued that corporations require social responsibility, and have a greater purpose to society than just profit maximization. I like doing debates because whether or not I agree with my position, I am challenged to create concise arguments and respond thoroughly to someone’s rebuttal. Additionally, the readings we did prior to class were an opportunity to see corporate social responsibility from a different perspective. The historical arguments made by economists like Friedman and business models like Ford challenged modern context, developing my knowledge on the topic as a whole. I drew parallels to what we are learning in the internship seminar because the ability to understand multiple perspectives requires a level of intelligence and social awareness. This class is making me a more well rounded, inquisitive individual and is very different from the classes I take at school which I am coming to appreciate. 

The internship seminar is a great opportunity to reflect on the world around me and discover my place within it. Professor Swain had us complete a self judgment activity that asked about qualities like patience, flexibility, adaptability, and listening. I always recognize that I do a lot of reflecting on my interactions with people and the world around me, but sometimes I lose sight of the tangible skills that I have. This activity made me appreciate the skills I have and made me more confident in Milan. All of these skills could be translated into a cultural context. Ethnorelativism is the ability to understand different cultures and behave appropriately depending on where you are. A soft skill that I have is respect and etiquette. This translates into a cultural context because I try my best to adapt to Italian culture, adjusting my behaviors to fit in better. The internship seminar allows us to recognize where we lie on the spectrum of ethnocentrism to ethnorelativism, what we are doing well, and what we need to work on. 

Through my internship I am starting to realize the emphasis that Italian culture has on background knowledge to ensure quality work. My internship advisor has given me multiple papers to review and take notes on, so that when the time comes I will be able to successfully analyze data. For example, one paper discusses in detail how to convert qualitative data into quantitative data for survey studies. While I have learned this briefly in the past, learning it more thoroughly will help me in the future. Additionally, I find it very rewarding to apply what I have learned in college thus far to what I am doing in my internship. For my Population Health degree we learn a lot about study designs, how to tailor questions in the right way, and why different studies produce different results. My goal this summer was to explore how my degree could be applied to the real work force and I feel as if I am getting this experience.

Last Friday I took a day trip to Venice. The day started early, with an 8am train, but was a quick three hour trip. Before traveling to Venice, I had a few assumptions about the city. Firstly, that there were no cars on the island and secondly that squid ink pasta was a Venetian delicacy. Unfortunately, I was disappointed by both. As soon as we exited the train station there were many cars to be seen. Luckily, beyond the train station there were no cars, and I believe that they were for commuters coming from the mainland. The entire day I was amazed by Venice and how unique it was. We took a water taxi to San Marco, and it was my favorite 15 minutes of the day. Every canal had its own authentic charm, and the houses along the canals were beautiful. Furthermore, squid ink pasta still remains a delicacy, but it did not live up to my expectations. The flavor was not terrible, but something about the consistency and thought of eating squid ink was foul. While I am trying to get the full culinary experience by trying local dishes, it was a good lesson experience to know the right time to be bold. Overall, I am so glad that we got to experience the city before global warming causes it to sink. If any of my peers are considering a day trip to Venice I would definitely recommend it. 

 

This week was a lot more material based, and we learned about the foundational principles of  corporate governance and corporate social responsibility. The homework allowed us to take what we learned in the book and videos and see how they transferred to real company policies. My Dow 30 company was Verizon, and I enjoyed learning about their corporate governance mechanisms. Something I found interesting when researching companies was the varying emphasis that companies place on having directors be personally, financially invested in the company (as shareholders). Additionally, the movie we watched in class contributed to my knowledge of corporate social responsibility because it displayed the true efforts that companies make towards social change. Pfizer is a company committed to improving population health, however, their social responsibility reaches beyond their direct consumers. Senior directors made an effort to improve the community in which the office is located, which shifted my perspective on how corporations interact with more than just their consumers. 

The internship seminar has been a major outlet for reflection. Coming to Milan has been a culture shock, but through the seminar I am able to better understand the people and place that I am in, making me feel more at home. This week we talked about cultural differences in terms of workplace values and social norms. The first was similar to our personal cultural identity because we explored the way that workplaces differ in the US vs. Italy. Additionally, the topic of cultural differences in nationalism was very intriguing. In Italy, people feel more connected to their metropolitan cities (province) within their state, for example, Bergamo is a province within Lombardy. This inclination shines light on the strong sense of community in Italy. Another cultural difference is the connection that people feel towards politics and politicians. Italy is made up of many smaller parties that work in bigger coalitions. This diversity means that people do not feel as impacted by the politicians in power. On the other hand, the US is polarized by 2 main parties and their values are very different. When one party has control of the office, it affects a larger majority of the population. The last key cultural difference I learned this week is about higher education. School spirit is not prevalent in Italy because everyone who wants to attend college can and for a lower cost. Americans feel connected to their universities for financial, legacy, and networking reasons.  

The next step in my internship process is to review the data collected by the Metabolism of Cities from women in California and right across the border in Mexico. Last week I researched different types of data analysis, both descriptive and regression analysis. This week, I provided specific guidelines for which data analysis types would be appropriate for which survey questions. Seeing the progression of my work is very rewarding, and I am excited to take this next step. Domenico is very supportive of our personal interests, giving us certain guidelines but allowing us to fine tune our internship in a way that fulfills us. Additionally, our third Politecnico di Milano trip was to watch a seminar on “air pollution health impacts & implications for environmental justice.” Paola Crippa is a professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences at the University of Notre Dame. For some reason, attending her seminar provided me with a sense of home and comfort because University of Notre Dame is a commonly talked about college where I am from. I really enjoy going to the Politecnico di Milano because I get to experience a 3rd perspective of Milanese / Italian culture.

This past weekend I traveled to Florence! I loved the architecture of the buildings, nothing was high rise and it was all cohesive, fitting the same aesthetic. There were piazza’s everywhere, filled with vendors selling goods like leather. It was fun to shop and see all the sites that are so commonly talked about. My favorite part of the trip was when we went to Piazzale Michelangelo and brought wine and snacks to watch the sunset. Seeing the city from above really puts its beauty in perspective. One funny story to share: when we were talking to our Airbnb host about restaurants, Jen asked if there was anything similar to the viral cheese wheel pasta osteria because reservations are required 4+ weeks in advance (which we did not do). Our Airbnb host was flatmates with the owner of the restaurant when she first moved to Florence in 1989, so she called him and got us a reservation for the very next day! Upon reflection, I drew a lot of differences between Milan and Florence. Milan is a less touristy city so it was definitely a shock to arrive in Florence, one of Italy’s most traveled cities. In Milan there is an unspoken dress code (kinda) where citizens expect you to be dressed fashionably but modestly; this was different in Florence (possibly because they’re so used to tourists) because they did not expect any specific dress. Lastly, I found the people in Florence a lot friendlier. They did not stare or judge openly, and made small talk more often.

 

This was our first week of Corporate Social Responsibility courses in Milan. I found the in class discussions extremely advantageous to my understanding of the course and its objectives. For example, when I researched which Wall Street Journal article to select I knew what attributes to explore. I feel as if I am improving in my work quality. Additionally, the homework assignment summaries force me to read the papers more closely because I have to absorb the information and articulate it in a way that makes sense to me. The articles dive into niche topics that relate to the business world, but they increased my understanding of corporate social responsibility as a whole. Globalization is a pressing topic as the world is becoming more and more connected with every passing day. Additionally, the article on market capitalism portrays the role that corporations play in maintaining structure of the economy. There are so many threats to market capitalism, and corporations are responsible to make protective changes. Some changes include increasing worker education, entrepreneurship, remodeling business models. I look forward to continuing in the course to learn more about the special topics within corporate social responsibility. 

This week’s internship seminar dove deeper into cultural analysis and one’s own personal cultural profile. The discussion allowed us to reflect on the various cultural profiles that we possess, where they originated from, and how they affect our interactions with the business world. Additionally, after having experienced the Italian work culture, my classmates shared some really insightful points on how it differs from American work culture. Most interestingly, the level of trust varies, stemming from personal connection in Italy and from achievement in the US (objectively). Furthermore, the Parable of Sadhu was a story set in the mountains, but the ethical dilemma could be applied to the workplace. Americans are so hyper focused on achievement that they are willing to sacrifice their relationships with and duties to others in order to mobilize upward in status. The debate was a unique opportunity to address both sides of the issue, and while public speaking and in class debates make me extremely nervous I am proud of my participation. 

My internship has taken the next step forward this week in terms of the project. Every Monday morning we have a meeting with our internship supervisor where we set small goals to complete for the upcoming week. It is also a great opportunity to ask questions that we have regarding our internship expectations. The CHIARA project has a google survey that asks questions about a variety of health dimensions. Researchers at SDSU have collected data from Americans and Mexicans near the California border. My goal this week is to look at the data and brainstorm different ways to analyze descriptive and quantitative data. Ultimately, I would like to find correlations between health status and health outcomes. Beyond the tangible work, on Thursday I attended a health data science course at Politecnico di Milano where students presented their final projects. Thus far, we have only experienced the Italian workplace, not the Italian education system. The students did a great job in their presentations and I was so impressed with their ability to communicate their indepth research in a non-native language (English). The presentation was on air pollution and it’s effects on the elderly population such as the rates of cardiovascular and neurological diseases. 

Italy is known globally for its wine culture and it became apparent very early on in this trip. IES hosted a wine tasting for the Lehigh students on Thursday. The restaurant is in one of my favorite neighborhoods in Milan, just half a mile from Aparto. In this course our instructor went through the basics of tasting and what to consider when choosing a wine. We learned how to decide the wines age, intensity, taste profile, and viscosity. I am not a wine girl but I found the class extremely interesting. Being respectful and following etiquette is important to me, especially in a foreign country, and knowing how to properly handle a wine tasting is a way to achieve this. Additionally, it was fun to put our new skills to use! At dinner this weekend Kiera got a glass of white wine and the waiter had her taste it. Our waiter was young so it was acceptable to laugh as we all talked through the motions of what to do. In time I think this skill will be very useful, for example at a business dinner.

The CSR course starts officially tomorrow, and I am enthusiastic to get the discussions started because we have learned so much about Italian culture these past 2 weeks. Many Italian people take responsibility for their actions and have a group mentality. For example, I have noticed how devoted they are to recycling properly and the lack of litter on the streets. These insights are possibly a bottom up practice, inspiring Italian corporations to be more ethical about their environmental impact. The course work encourages us to look at Corporate America, and the impact that these industries have on the world. Personally, I found my second Wall Street Journal post to be much easier because I knew what to look for when choosing my article and summarizing its content. 

The first class of the internship seminar seemed to be an introduction and lesson on cultural differences in the Italian workplace compared to the US. The cultural analysis toolkit looked into the various personal cultural profiles: status, authority, involvement, collaboration, time, directness, emotion, and organization. These vary depending on the person, but inferences can be drawn across different cultural groups. For example, in the United States people are individualistic and like to complete tasks on their own. In Italy, there is a more collective mindset. Most interestingly, these individuals really care about the office environment and make time throughout the day to bond with their coworkers, getting to know them on a personal level. This lesson was beneficial in the early stages of the course because we are getting acclimated to our work environment. I have noticed that our supervisor seems to constantly be in contact with IES staff and is encouraging us to make bonds with college students at the Politecnico di Milano. 

This past was eye opening in terms of the types of expectations and data involved in my internship. My supervisor gave me a google folder with a ton of information on the CHIARA project (background information, survey questions, and previous findings) that I read through and studied. Having a deeper understanding of the information makes me more confident in my abilities to carry out data analysis, and I have already started brainstorming what correlations and collection points to analyze and through what models. Additionally, working with the Politecnico di Milano has been an eye opening experience in Italian culture and schooling. The class we are attending is a health data science course and is collaborative in nature. I look forward to seeing the class in action again because I will be able to draw conclusions about the similarities and differences to American universities. For example, the class dynamic, student-to-teacher ratio, and professional vs. relaxed dynamic. 

Week 2 in Milan has been a blast and I am starting to feel more comfortable in the environment. My favorite thing so far about Milan is the walkability of the city, and I have been walking around 15,000 steps a day just exploring the city and moving from place to place. For example, I walked to the IES center on Thursday while listening to a podcast and got to see some residential areas I would have never passed had I taken the subway. I love this attribute of a European lifestyle and want to implement these practices into my everyday life at home. Another shift in perspective I encountered was with the native Italians here. The first week I felt intimidated by their stares and overall demeanor. However, I got somewhat used to it and realized that they are helpful, caring, and enthusiastic if you make an effort to fit in. 

This weekend, we explored the Swiss Alps! It felt so nice to be back in nature, surrounded by trees and fresh air. I didn’t realize how much I missed it until I had it back. The day started early, at 5:40am when I walked to the train station, and it was so nice to walk through the quiet streets at dawn. We did a ropes course that made me feel like a child again and went on a hike. As someone who has done some intense hikes throughout my life, the part with the snow cliff gave me a bad feeling in my gut, so I am happy that we decided to turn around. The 6 hours spent on the bus (all together) was a perfect time to read my book (a hobby I’m trying to get into more). Overall, the trip was great but I am excited to start doing some unplanned travel. 

I have already started to connect the dots between the Corporate Social Responsibility course, its objectives, and the work we are doing for the class. This week, we did our first Wall Street Journal entry. I found it a bit overwhelming scrolling through the enormous amount of articles to choose from, but I landed on one called “Lenders Are Seeing a Bottom for Consumers.” Once I picked, I really enjoyed the assignment. It prompted me to think about the role that corporations and individuals play in the lending market, and how the market is always changing. I believe that through this course I will become more knowledgeable about the global economy and various industries, making me a more worldly individual. My goal for the beginning of this course is to target different sections of the Wall Street Journal so I can get a basic understanding of each. Italy as a culture feels somewhat like a corporation. Italians’ collective inclinations motivate them to work together in various ways for the greater good of the country. For example, public transportation, a lack of AC units, and sustainable practices work towards sustainability.

 

Today, Tuesday May 28th, I had the opportunity to attend a doctoral presentation at the Politecnico di Milano. The event occurred in an entry level data science class, where a PhD Candidate for Environmental Engineering discussed the impact of urban road transport policies on air quality and human health through a bottom-up modeling chain. The topic was complex, but it relates greatly to the foundation of my internship (One-health and data analysis). The cultural component of this presentation was very interesting because it related to Italian infrastructure and transportation systems, which are vastly different from American systems. It was interesting to learn about the Lombardy states issue with climate change because I had been under the assumption that Italy was not polluted. This event took place at 5:15pm so Rory, Mahan, and I got excused from the internship seminar by Professor Swain. Marta, internship coordinator at IES, was enthusiastic about this opportunity and very supportive because she believed it would enhance our educational, professional, and cultural intelligence. 

 

My internship is through the Metabolism of Cities, a research group that focuses on improving human and environmental health through data analysis. My focus project is CHIARA, which stands for Cooperative Humanitarian Integrated Action to Reduce Digital Apartheid. It collects data through surveys to improve child and maternal health at the border. I will be reviewing the data, analyzing it in a statistical model of my choosing, and presenting the findings. I spent 2 semesters studying biostatistics, and I look forward to applying my knowledge to a real world scenario. My supervisor was very informative in our first meeting, diving into the goals of the living lab as a whole as well as our individual projects. He places a lot of emphasis on individualism and trusts us to get our work done in a timely manner. I appreciate his approach as it prompts me to have intrinsic motivation. I believe that I will take a lot away from this experience, and am looking forward to getting more acclimated to the data.

 

My first week in Italy has definitely been a culture shock. As someone who is very routined and rigid with my time management, I am adjusting to the slower pace of life. While this is difficult, I think I will benefit from becoming a more relaxed individual. I have enjoyed the long dinners, afternoon aperitivo, and morning cappuccinos. Aparto has a lot of nearby restaurants and is a 1km walk to Navigli, which is a canal with a lot of restaurants on the water.  In order to remember the restaurants and cafes, I have been using the Beli App. It is an app that allows you to locate the restaurant you visit, review your meal, and rank it in comparison to your other reviews. My family follows me on the app so it is a great way to stay connected and share my delicious meals! So far, my favorite meal has been on Isola dei Pescatori (an island on Lake Maggiore). 

This Saturday, we spent the day at Lake Maggiore; it was nothing less than a postcard destination. The water, islands, and surrounding mountains left me speechless. We island hopped to 3 different islands near Stresa, each with their own charm. The first had a Victorian mansion, the next had restaurants and a church, and the last had a castle with an extensive garden. Beyond my day trip to Lake Maggiore, this week has been focused on exploring what Milan has to offer. The Duomo is even more astonishing in person, and I appreciate that it is a central point for Milan residents when commuting to work. I am excited to explore the area around my internship more and possibly become a local at a nearby cafe. 

I am pursuing a dual degree in Population Health and Economics, and am looking forward to Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course because I expect it to integrate both of my fields of study into one. Population health courses generally relate to epidemiology, biostatistics, pharmaceuticals, and community health. One of my classes – Justice, Equity, and Ethics in Population Health – looks into environmental and social issues relating to said principles. Economic courses relate to the economy (obviously), consumer choice, federal and corporate spending, etc. While these disciplines are vastly different, looking at the ethical responsibilities of corporations and how that affects consumers, I believe, will channel both fields. I expect to be satisfied by this curriculum and to deepen my understanding of the intersection between my majors; ultimately exploring ways to combine them into one fulfilling career. 

I am not entirely sure what to expect from the Gupta/Swain Internship Seminar. I assume that I will gain many valuable skills from this course. I imagine learning how to network, compose myself in a professional environment, and manage documents like resumes/cover letters. During the academic year I work at the Center for Career and Professional Development as a Career Intern, helping students refine their resumes and navigate job opportunities. I expect that I will be able to transfer these skills into the seminar. I especially look forward to applying what I have learned through my job into the real world, gaining valuable experience in a professional setting. 

My internship placement is still in the works, but from what I have heard so far I expect to really enjoy the work. The Metabolism of Cities is a non-profit organization researching the flow of resources in an urban environment. My role would be in the public health sector, researching how the tools provided affects the population and how Milan’s urban environment functions. Not only is this information valuable as I consider future careers, but it will be interesting to research Italy’s culture and population. This will provide me with a deep appreciation for cultural diversity upon my arrival home to the United States. I will learn more about what professionalism in the workplace looks like, how to manage time, and how to communicate effectively in a team.

Cultural immersion is what I look forward to the most in this opportunity. I have always loved to travel, but find it exhausting, and am excited to stay for a period of time long enough to make it feel like home. I will create a routine, adjusting my living habits to fit Italian culture. While there may be culture shock, I will gain a deeper appreciation for my life at home and for the authenticity of each place. Being in a group setting will be a good experience for me because I am an introvert, but will be motivated by others to go out of my comfort zone and try new things. A goal I have for myself is to take a solo trip to a nearby city one weekend. This will give me the opportunity to recharge, reflect, and reconnect with myself while simultaneously challenging myself to be fully independent.