This week in Professor Gupta’s corporate social responsibility class we completed our final papers and presented our findings. While this project took a lot of time and effort, I thoroughly enjoyed it. My group researched the topic of cancel culture, which is not something I had given very much thought to in the past. Through extensive research and discussion with my group, we were able to put together a product that we are all very proud of. I think that this project taught me a lot about critical thinking and research. It had been a while since I had done such a big group project, but I enjoyed working with my group members and hearing their thoughts as we made our way through the project. Overall, it was a very positive experience. 

This week in Professor Swain’s internship seminar we completed our final project presentations. My group decided to research sustainability in Italy. Specifically, we wanted to learn whether Italians are personally invested in sustainability efforts or if it is all driven by regulation. We found that it really takes both of these components to successfully create sustainability. Italy’s government creates a lot of regulations and even incentivizes sustainable practices through things like tax cuts. However, Italians also drive the cause out of personal motivation. This research helped me understand what we lack in America and gave me some ideas on how to live more sustainably. I enjoyed this project and working with my group. 

Given that this was my last week at my internship, I have done a lot of reflection on my time at G2Q. I feel unbelievably lucky to have been paired with this company and will never forget the time I spent with them. My coworkers are fascinating and brilliant people. More than that, they are extraordinarily kind and thoughtful. They have taught me so much. On Wednesday night we all went out to get drinks. We talked about a lot of things – from my time here this summer all the way to American politics and the war in Israel (in a very polite and respectful way). It was very different than the time I spend with my friends, but it was very fun and educational. I hope that my future job has as wonderful of a company culture because it made working here so much better. 

I did not travel last weekend partly because we were all a little burnt out and partly as an opportunity to explore Milan a bit more. It ended up being a very nice weekend. On Saturday I went to the vintage market near the canals. It was a huge market and I was able to find some really nice gifts for people back home. On Sunday I went to a local spa. It was a very cool experience with all different kinds of water rooms such as a rain room, a jacuzzi, a waterfall, etc. It was a great way to relax with my friends before we all go our own ways for the rest of the summer. I am very grateful to have had so many different experiences through my travels this summer and it was so much fun doing it with friends. 

In Professor Gupta’s corporate social responsibility class this week we went through a case study about Apple. In the case study, we learned about the unethical practices of Apple’s distributors and how Apple handled the situations. In class, we then discussed whether or not Apple was responsible for ensuring a safe work environment at its suppliers. It was a very interesting conversation with good points on both sides. However, I believe that Apple is responsible. Apple has a lot of power over the suppliers, given how important they are as a customer, and can therefore demand change for the workers. Especially because Apple claims to hold their CSR in very high regard, this is a very bad look for them.

In the internship seminar this week we talked a little bit about the networking event, which everyone seemed to enjoy. We also added our internships to our resume. It was fun to think back on what I’ve done in my internship and what is left to do. However, I had some trouble putting such a huge experience into a few lines on my resume. I know that it will be very easy to talk about this experience at length in the future. At the end of the class, we watched a video about public speaking. It was an interesting video with good advice, but I think some of his advice was a bit extreme. 

Last week we had our internship seminar networking event, which I really enjoyed. I was lucky enough to have five people from my company come and we had a great time together. The highlight of my internship has been talking to my coworkers every day, so it was really nice to spend time with them outside of work. It was also fun for them to meet my friends. I feel it brought me a lot closer to them. I am proud of the work I have been doing and have had an overall great experience. It will be really hard to say goodbye next week, but I feel so fortunate that I am able to say that. 

Last weekend I went to Florence with some friends. I’m not sure what exactly I was expecting, but it definitely exceeded my expectations. It was beautiful and very walkable. We stayed in an unbelievably beautiful Airbnb right on the canal. The first day I went to a really cool perfume shop where I smelled so many perfumes and bought one that I really like. Then we went to the leather street market and we all got new purses. I don’t think I’ve ever done that much walking in my life, but it was so much fun. We happened to be in Florence when The Tour de France happened to begin in Florence while we were there, so we went up to Piazzale Michelangelo to watch it begin. It was such a cool and unexpected experience. We also had delicious food while we were there. Overall it was a really great weekend.

This week in Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility class, my group got the opportunity to debate. We took the position that the Business Roundtable Pledge from 2019 is just empty rhetoric. Although I do not entirely agree with this perspective, I enjoyed arguing this position. It was very interesting to think about why companies may have chosen to sign this document and how they acted after signing it. I think that actions are sparked by claims, so in that regard they are useful. However, I also think that companies are able to reap many undeserved benefits simply by making claims without ever acting on them. It will be interesting to see how the companies who signed this pledge act in the future. 

I had a great time at my internship this week. It is starting to get bittersweet because as I continue to get closer with my coworkers I am reminded that my time here will be over soon. This week I got to spend time with more of them in person and even played ping pong with one of my coworkers today. We are planning to have a group dinner before I leave, which I am very excited for. I have still been working on the website and I am really happy with how it is coming along. I am confident that I will be able to have it done before my time here is over. 

Last weekend I went to Barcelona with some of my friends. I loved the city and had a lot of fun exploring – I LOVED tapas in particular. I was a little disappointed because a lack of adequate planning meant I was not able to see some of the attractions that I was most interested in. However, I still got to see some of Gaudi’s work and was blown away by it. Although I have really enjoyed every place I’ve visited this summer, I do not feel like I saw any of them to their fullest. I hope to go back to each of them one day with more time to explore and learn about the history. My trips have been great, but they have also made me realize how fortunate I was in the past while traveling with my family to spend more time in each place and have more resources to explore what I was interested in. 

 

This week in Professor Gupta’s corporate social responsibility course, I really enjoyed our debate about whether or not corporations have social responsibility. The pre-class readings gave me a lot of food for thought and valuable perspectives for writing my debate prep. My group and I agreed that it was much easier to argue that corporations do not have a social responsibility, which I found very interesting given that it is not the perspective that most of us hold. I’ve really been enjoying how this class has made me think more deeply about things I thought I knew. I have found it difficult to take one position on the topics we discuss because they are so complex and multifaceted. 

This week in Professor Swain’s internship seminar we talked about communication differences between different cultures. I learned that in America we include more context and clarification into what we are saying, whereas in other places they assume you have more background information to begin with. It makes sense to me that we do this in America because we all come from different backgrounds and cultures, so you can’t assume that a person has the same foundational knowledge that you do. I enjoy the way we communicate in America and am beginning to miss dealing with mostly Americans on a day-to-day basis. It takes a lot of mental energy to deal with the language and cultural barriers all the time. Understanding this difference will definitely be helpful to keep in mind as I continue to communicate with Italians in different contexts. 

My internship is still going extremely well. I feel very comfortable with my coworkers and feel like I have learned so much from them. I am finally going into the office more frequently, which I really enjoy. I have been working on creating their website which has been a lot of fun for me. I am very creative and enjoy writing, so this task is perfect for me. While it does not align perfectly with what I am studying, I think I am learning a lot from this experience that will transfer well into any job. My communication and comfortability working alongside others and asking questions has improved a lot. Additionally, I have learned a lot about quantum computing which I am sure will be useful at some point given that it is growing so quickly. I think it is a great niche knowledge set to have. 

Last weekend I went to Nice, France with some of my friends. It was absolutely beautiful and we had a lot of fun. The first day we went to the beach and I learned the importance of wearing sunscreen. The beach was beautiful and very relaxing, but it is made of stones rather than sand. This made it pretty difficult and painful to walk to and get into the water, but it was cool to experience something new. The second day we explored Old Nice. There were many cute stores and markets. Many of the stores were spice/tea stores which I found interesting. I bought a lavender honey for my mom that I am very excited to try. Both of our nights there we had wonderful dinners and got to watch pretty sunsets. I am so grateful to be able to see so many different places during my time in Europe. 

 

 

 

 

1.The highlight of Professor Gupta’s class this week was the documentary that we watched on Wednesday. It made me think about a lot of new things. I thought that I was pretty aware of the ways I am influenced and which influences I chose to let in. However, I was not aware that undercover marketing exists. I know that there is constant marketing on social media and on TV, but I never imagined that the same kind of influences exist in our everyday lives. It is a scary thought that we can’t make active decisions about what we consume because we don’t even always know we are consuming it. This makes me think more about the question regarding marketing to children. I do think companies should be able to market to children in some capacity, but I do not think undercover marketing should target the children. Meaning, I think parents should always have the option to separate their children from the influences they do not want to reach them. 

2. This week in our internship seminar we were given an image of someone crying over the results of a presidential election and another of people cheering for the University of Michigan in full gear. We were asked to explain these images how we would to an Italian. I found this experiment very interesting because these are not things I realized did not exist in Italy. In America our political affiliation is usually a deeply ingrained part of who we are – it hadn’t occurred to me that this wasn’t the case everywhere. The same is the case with being proud of where we went to college. I am enjoying learning about these small but important cultural differences. I think that it will cause me to think more about what I do and why I do it. I have always thought that my identity was most heavily impacted by Judaism, but I am realizing that being American has also had a very significant effect on me. 

3. My internship experience was a little different this week because I was remote for most of it. At first I was excited about this because it gave me more time to go to the gym and relax. However, I ended up really missing being in person. I have found that I am much more productive in the office, but I also have more fun. When I finally returned to the office yesterday (once my coworkers were back from being away) I had a lot of fun catching up with them and moving on to my next project at work. I had been doing a lot of research and brainstorming, but I finally started building them a website. I’m having a lot of fun creating the website because it has allowed me to be creative. It is not something I have ever done before, but I think I am off to a very good start!

4. On Saturday night I traveled from Lake Como to the nearby mountains. At first my friends and I were worried about the hotel we were staying in because it was old and a little dark. However, it ended up being a really great experience. They served us the best dinner I have had since being in Italy along with delicious desserts. The next day we saw cows being herded by dogs and the little factory that makes cheese out of their milk. Then we hiked to an old church. The views were stunning and we had a lot of fun. I probably never would have been to a place like that without IES and I am grateful for the experience.

 

It was wonderful beginning our corporate social responsibility class this week! I have particularly enjoyed beginning the class by discussing WSJ posts. I think that the discussion that arose because of Addy’s post was fascinating and fun. Having commented on her post originally, it was really interesting for me to see how my views were questioned by what other people said. I’m excited to explore many different topics this summer as a result of similar discussions. Additionally,  I feel like my financial/corporate vocabulary has already begun to increase in this class. I know this is not the primary objective, but it is nice that I am understanding the technical side of business more as I learn about the ethical side. 

The highlight of our internship seminar this week was our analysis of the Parable of the Sadhu. I was fascinated to hear my classmates’ opinions and was surprised by how much people’s opinions differed. Many people seemed to think that the answer was straight forward, while I was left contemplating what I would have done in this situation. I think it taught important lessons about how people are affected by group mentalities and huge personal goals. Although I consider myself to be a morally-sound and caring person, I don’t know for certain what I would have done. I think anyone who claims to know what they would have done is underestimating how heavily your situation can affect your decisions. I look forward to similar conversations in this class in the future. 

I had another great week at my internship. On Monday we visited a new Spaces location and I played ping pong with one of my coworkers (and lost unfortunately). However, for the rest of this week most of my coworkers were away so I was remote. This made me realize how much I enjoy being in person. I missed our chats and breaks together. A few of my coworkers are still away next week, but my boss will be back, so I am looking forward to being in person with her. I found it harder to get my work done this week. I thought that the time saved on transportation would make me more productive, but the lack of a formal work environment was unmotivating. However, I am still happy with what I produced this week and my boss seemed to like it too when I presented it to her via zoom on Friday. 

I had so much fun this weekend at Lake Como! My friends and I decided not to go on the hike and, instead, walked around stunning botanical gardens. It was one of the prettiest places I had ever been and I had a lot of fun walking through and taking pictures. After that we got to do a little bit of shopping in the downtown area before going to lunch. I was surprised to find stores that felt more authentic and exciting than the ones at Lake Maggiore because I assumed Lake Como was more touristy. It was so much fun exploring these authentic Italian shops and even seeing an artist painting while I explored her watercolor shop. I wish I had gotten more time to stroll and relax by Lake Como, but there was so much to see and do in such a short time. I definitely want to go back sometime with friends or family to continue taking in such a wonderful place.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I have gotten closer with the other people on the trip I am increasingly excited to learn about their perspectives on our various topics in class discussions. I don’t know what to expect with the virtual setup of the class, but I am sure we will figure it out and learn a lot. Knowing that the class is approaching has made me very observant of the differences between Italian vs. American practices. In my last post, I discussed this in relation to sustainability, but I have also noticed a difference in how employees are treated. This may be specific to my company, but there is a very friendly and understanding environment here that I do not think exists to the same extent in America. I am excited to explore these topics more in class. 

In the days of work since we had our internship seminar I have felt like what I learned has served me well. I have been more conscious of asking direct questions about my tasks and I feel more at ease to match the more casual environment that my coworkers create. Additionally, when my boss asked me if I wanted coffee, I knew that I should say yes even though I am not usually a coffee drinker. It ended up being a really nice way for us to get to know each other more. Only one person at my company is actually from Italy, so I have a somewhat different situation than most students. Because of this, English is the language of my office which makes it very easy for me to be included in all conversations. 

I am loving my internship. I finally met the founder of my company in person this past Friday (she had been away at a convention). We had talked a lot online, but it was so nice to finally get to know her in person. It was really interesting learning about her past and how she came to start the company. We also bonded over being foreigners in Italy and our likes/dislikes. I had been preparing a presentation for her all week and presented it on Friday. I think that she was very happy with it and we discussed what I will be doing going forward. I still feel like there are a lot of unknowns about what I will be doing for the rest of my time here, but I feel much more settled in and confident than I did before. 

I have had a great week exploring Italy! I had fun on the ropes course in the Alps and the views were stunning. Our hike definitely had its problems, but it was a cool experience nonetheless. I also went to the Sforza Castle and Museo Poldi Pezzoli this weekend. They were both very cool to see and gave me a better understanding of Milan’s history. I am growing more accustomed to the language and cultural barriers, which is making it much easier to feel comfortable here. I am still struggling a bit with the food because it is hard to find chicken in restaurants and I do not eat pork which is in almost everything here. However, I have started cooking for myself more often which has made things a lot easier.

 

My time in Milan has made me increasingly excited to begin learning about corporate social responsibility. I have been very aware of the environmentally sustainable practices here in Milan that I do not see at home. Some examples are caps that stay attached to plastic water bottles so that they can get recycled together and lights in Aparto that only stay on when your key card is in the holder in order not to waste energy when nobody is home. Additionally, the workplace culture has made me curious about how Italians approach corporate social responsibility in comparison to Americans. Finally, completing the WSJ entry made me realize that I do not read the news often enough. I enjoyed reading the WSJ for that assignment and look forward to doing so consistently during this program. I hope that it forms a habit that lasts me far past my return to America. 

Today we had our first internship seminar. Leading up to this trip I was confused what such a class might include and did not know what to expect. However, today’s session made me very excited for what is to come for the rest of the trip. I really enjoyed listening to Professor Swain’s unique insights and I now understand how much there is to be gained by diving deeper into the experiences we are having in our internships. I left today’s class with a much greater understanding and appreciation for what I had experienced at my first two days of work. I expect that this seminar will give me much to think about throughout the program and, therefore, allow me to go home with greater takeaways from my time here. 

I have had a wonderful time in my internship so far. I was nervous to work at a quantum computing company because it is not a field that I knew anything about. However, within just two days my worries are gone. I have absolutely wonderful coworkers. We have spent a significant part of my first two days just chatting and getting to know and learn from each other. I have learned a lot about quantum computing, but do not need to understand the field at a very deep level. I will be mainly helping the company market themselves more effectively. I am not a marketing major but I really enjoy being creative and am looking forward to this assignment. My company does not have an office, but rather moves to different coworking spaces depending on how they feel that day. The spaces are very nice and, in my opinion, a perfect working environment. I like that I will not be in the same place every day. I am very much looking forward to the rest of my internship and everything I stand to learn from it. 

I am enjoying my time in Milan so much so far! We have only been here for a week, but I feel like I have taken in so much already. I am amazed by so much here. The transportation system is incredibly easy to navigate, the views throughout the city are stunning, the people I have met are very nice, my living accommodations are great and the food is delicious. This feels like such an easy and comfortable place to live. We also had an absolutely wonderful trip to Lake Maggiore last weekend. The scenery was incredible and I had so much fun exploring the three different islands. There are a few things I am still adjusting to, of course. It has been difficult speaking no Italian at times (especially in restaurants). I do not eat pork and it has felt like every single dish in Milan has pork in it, which has been a bit difficult. I also do not enjoy when the tram is super packed and I have to be pushed up against other people. Overall things are going better than I could have hoped and I am so happy to be here. 

 

I am very excited for Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course. From our first meeting, it is clear that Professor Gupta is intent on fostering deep thinking and open-mindedness. Rather than imparting his personal opinions on the class, Professor Gupta will use this course to help us form our own, well-researched views. I anticipate having some difficult and uncomfortable discussions, but I am confident that everyone will be respectful and learn a lot from the experience. Additionally, I think that this course will be a great bonding experience for everyone in the program and that we won’t let our opinions about the topics at hand affect our opinions about each other. 

I think one of the biggest benefits of the Lehigh in Milan program is the understanding we will gain of Italian culture, both in business and social applications. I think that this course will help us better understand and process what we observe in order to more effectively carry the lessons back home with us. Additionally, I expect this course to help me communicate with people at my internship and through my travels around Italy. I know very little about Italian culture and even less of the language, so I know that this course will be very useful to me. I am very excited about my internship and hope this course will help me thrive there. 

I expect my internship to be an extremely fulfilling experience. I have never had a job in the professional world before and, although I believe that I have gathered many business skills in my time at Lehigh, I am confident that my business acumen will increase dramatically. The skills I learn there will prepare me well for the recruitment process that will begin shortly after arriving back home. Additionally, I am very excited to soak up as much Italian culture as possible in my internship. I know that businesses operate quite differently there and I am excited to bring home skills and mentalities that will serve me well in my future in the fast-paced American business world. 

I am extremely excited for the travel opportunities that I will have while in Europe. My travels (especially in Europe) are some of the most interesting and exciting experiences I have had. This program will allow me to visit many new countries (Italy being one of them) and therefore gain knowledge of many new cultures and histories. Additionally, it will be very interesting to call a new place home for a few weeks. I am excited to have the rare opportunity to gain a deep familiarity with a new city. I plan on exploring Milan to the fullest and also making sure to travel within Italy often, rather than leaving the country for all my travels.