This week in Professor Gupta’s corporate social responsibility class, we presented the final projects we had been working on for the summer. My group presented on public corporations and their environmental disasters. We enjoyed learning about different natural life disasters and brainstorming possible solutions. We think that our solutions, though they may be more complex to implement, should be thought about to truly stop these disasters in the future as they recur over and over. Also, I enjoyed learning about what other groups had spent time researching, specifically the group that presented on AI and the future. I am very interested in what AI will do, so seeing what a group thought was very insightful.

During the internship seminar with Professor Swain and Professor Gupta, we had the opportunity to interview each other and practice some common behavioral interview questions. I found this experience invaluable in relating the answers to some accomplishments from this summer. Not only this, but we got to present on the projects we had been working on for a couple of weeks now. My group and I enjoyed exploring Milan and learning about its sustainability practices. This enhanced our understanding of global environmental initiatives and allowed us to see firsthand the innovative approaches Milan is taking. Additionally, my group mates’ interactions with their friends and coworkers gave us a deeper insight into what Italian citizens think of sustainability initiatives.

During my internship, I improved our application process for business angels by adding automation that works for our family-style membership with differing prices from the standard and business models. This enhancement streamlined the workflow and reduced the time spent on manual entry, making the process more efficient and user-friendly. Following this, I wrote an algorithm that added the current daily metrics to a new column in a spreadsheet while maintaining the formatting. I’ve set this to run daily so they will always have a running list for each weekday of the year. This daily update ensures the team has accurate and up-to-date data for their analysis and decision-making processes, significantly improving our data management system. Ultimately, I have loved my internship with IAG and hope to stay in touch with all my colleagues in the future.

Finally, during our last week in Italy, we traveled to Split, Croatia. A big group of us decided we wanted to go to a beachy place on our previous weekend after visiting most of Italy’s iconic cities. It was a weekend to remember as we arrived from our 6 am flight at 8 am in Split and took a taxi to where our Airbnb was located. Since we couldn’t check in immediately, we went out for breakfast, where we found most of the standard American breakfast foods. It was interesting to see that difference from Italy. After breakfast, we settled in and headed to a beach club for the day to get into the ocean. It was a beautiful day, and the water did not disappoint. We spent most of the day there and then had a delicious steak dinner close to our Airbnb. The following day, we decided to go to a boat party, which was a lot of fun. We had a great time dancing and swimming in the ocean. After a long day, we had another steak dinner and eventually headed home at 8 am on Sunday. Overall, it was a great weekend trip to end the program.

This week in Professor Gupta’s corporate social responsibility class, we had the opportunity to discuss environmental disasters by watching two films, Erin Brockovich and A Civil Action. It was interesting to see how corporations can have such a significant impact on the environment. My group for our final project is researching public corporations and their environmental disasters, so seeing these movies was quite insightful and helpful in learning more about our research. Not only this but during our discussion of the Wall Street Journal, Mr. Trock’s story on the BP refinery blast was also interesting regarding our research. Overall, it was a beneficial and informative week for my group as we wrote and prepared our final report.

The internship seminar was quite helpful this week as we had the opportunity to work on our resumes and watch a video from EY on public speaking. It was nice to have the chance to rework my resume with my current internship here in Italy and come up with my best accomplishments thus far as an intern at IAG. Moreover, the video was intriguing as it was both humorous and insightful. After watching it, I can remember when I was most likely doing the wrong thing and distracting myself and my audience while speaking. I will try to apply what I learned from that video to real-life situations where I have to talk in front of a big group of people or even in smaller settings as good practice.

During my internship this week, I finished the broad-scale automation of the application process for our business angels. It was great to get this up and running, as our managing director, Emanuele Torlonia, told me he would start putting potential business angels in and utilizing the automation process I had set up. For me, this was incredible to see in action, and I’m looking to continue improving it and making the experience for new angels even more enjoyable. Another piece of this process I have begun working on is displaying the analytics of this application process on Monday. I plan to have dashboards that will display the success rate step by step and see where our potential angels are applying to analyze how well our website performs compared to personal recommendations.

Over this past weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Rome and immerse myself in another Italian city. Rome was bustling with tourists and locals from all over. We saw everything from the Vatican to the Pantheon, to the Trevi Fountain, and of course the Colosseum. It was scorching hot all day, the hottest in Italy so far. We tried the famous pastas from amatriciana to carbonara and even had a DOCG house wine. On Saturday night, we went to a 500-year-old trattoria called Ristorante la Campana, recommended by one of my coworkers, Riccardo. It was delicious and a great experience at the restaurant. Later that night, we went to Scholars Pub to watch some Euros games. Seeing an Irish Pub filled with many Americans in Italy was interesting.

This past week, in Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility class, we delved deep into stakeholder capitalism, its definition, and whether it’s real or fake. I enjoyed listening to the debate on whether or not “the 2019 BRT Statement of the Purpose of a Corporation is just empty rhetoric.” I have thought it to mainly be empty rhetoric, so listening to the side pushing for how it has made an impact was an excellent first step toward progress. It was interesting to hear. Hearing the debate opened my eyes to the fact that we must start somewhere, even if corporations still break the BRT document they signed. Every problem solution has to start somewhere. I agree that this update to the BRT statement on the purpose of a corporation was a good first step towards enacting change in the world of corporate social responsibility.

During my internship this week, I continued automating the application process for our potential business angels. I’ve created individual Typeforms embedded in emails linked to status on Monday.com. This setup ensures that when I update the status, the system automatically sends emails directly to the potential business angels with the specific Typeform they need to fill out. This automation has amazed many of my coworkers, simplifying what used to be such a complex process for them to navigate for such an essential part of their business. Learning HTML code for this project has been very interesting, and I am excited to continue improving my skills in this new coding language. This experience has broadened my technical knowledge and enhanced my ability to create efficient and automated workflows.

Over the past week, I immersed myself in Italian culture. Evan, Mahan, Cooper, Charlie, and I went to Genova to stay with our friend from Lehigh Luca’s house. He was initially from Genova but moved to the right near Lehigh and went to school there. Staying at an Italian family’s home truly got us involved in the Italian culture. The first night, we had one of the only pizzas throughout my time here in Milan, and that blew me away. The following day, we tried focaccia con formaggio, specifically from Camogli, one of the only places to find real authentic focaccia con formaggio. It was a fragile focaccia filled with almost a melted cheese spread that was a tremendous, genuine Italian lunch. Later that night, we had the opportunity to have an authentic homemade Italian dinner with breadsticks, cold cuts, pesto pasta, and parmigiano reggiano. It was an incredible weekend for food and a fantastic weekend in a beach town in Italy.

During Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, I enjoyed debating whether “There is no such a thing as corporate social responsibility because the only goal of a public company is to maximize its profits for the sole benefit of its shareholders.” I thought that was interesting, and it led me to think about what I believe and how I could play devil’s advocate in any case. Specifically, this debate topic interested me because I think it correlated very well with my Wall Street Journal article and understanding that this takes place in the real world and there are examples everywhere. It led me to question how much I honestly care about corporate responsibility over simply making profits; hypothetically, that’s what corporations should do for their shareholders. Reading the story, I learned how much support Exxon’s board of directors has from their shareholders. Interestingly, proposals are being made to improve their corporate responsibility. Yet, so many shareholders only care about profit as they support what the current board is doing.

While in Professor Swain’s internship seminar this week, we had the opportunity to self-assess ourselves to see how we adapted to the Italian culture and lifestyle. I found it interesting to learn more about how I think of myself regarding ethnocentrism. When reading the statements about how often I have thought about them in Italy thus far, I found it interesting to see where I am in terms of adaptation and integration into Italian culture. Right now, I’m at an in-between point when looking at my intercultural sensitivity. I will push myself to become fully sensitive and hopefully feel fully integrated by the end of my study abroad here in Milan.

This week at my internship, I’ve begun automating our business angels’ entire application, interview, and approval process. Previously, our Managing Director handled this complex process manually, leading to inefficiencies and potential loss of interested candidates. Once it is finished, with just a few clicks of buttons and changing statuses on Monday, the process will be much more efficient and run smoothly. Our MD has long wanted to improve this process, and we believe this automation will increase the number of angels joining us by simplifying the process. This shift from manual to automated systems should vastly improve the application process on both ends and significantly decrease the time Emmanuele, our MD, has to spend.

This past weekend, I stayed in Milan, where my parents came to visit me before they traveled to Switzerland. It was great to spend time with family and show them what Milan is like. It was my mom’s birthday and Father’s Day, so we did a lot of shopping, and they both got themselves something. They both were in awe of the intricate construction of the buildings in Milan. One of my coworkers recommended that we go to Osteria del Binari for dinner one night, which did not disappoint. The ambiance and food were terrific, and we had a great time together. On Sunday, Jack, Charlie, and I went to the English Football Pub to watch England versus Serbia in the Euros. Watching a football game surrounded by English people routing for their country was energetic and fun.

This week in Corporate Social Responsibility, we had the opportunity to look into companies’ corporate governance policies and learn more about how these corporations run internally. I was given Microsoft of all the companies in the Dow 30 and found my research very interesting. I looked into Alphabet or Google as a competitor to compare their corporate governance policies. What I found pretty interesting regarding the alphabet I had not expected to learn was that they utilize a dual-class share structure with Class A, B, and C, all with different voting powers. When looking at Microsoft, their system appeared much more democratic, and all shareholder’s votes mattered to the overall governance of the corporation. I enjoyed sharing my findings with the class, as dual-class structures are not very popular, and shareholders often don’t feel comfortable having any power compared to other shareholders. I’m happy I got to look into these corporations and learn more specifically about the companies I’m invested in and their governance policies.

In Professor Swain’s internship seminar I was happy to get the opportunity to see how my company drives their work. Similar to most, Italian Angels for Growth is a very goal driven company with changing targets based on investment and within my own work assigning work with specific goals set. Also, I enjoyed writing my workplace encyclopedia as I learned new ideas and updates within the venture capital space in Milan and Italy as a whole and the sheer importance it holds in terms of innovation in a growing economy. Specifically, I was intrigued by the ongoing investment into many AI and fintech companies. Lastly, it was fascinating to see the size of IAG as a group with over 300 active business angels as a part of IAG’s network they are extremely connected in the VC space and drive lots of innovation.

At work, I continued creating more automations and making them even more efficient. I worked through creating an algorithm that will simplify and automate the application process from sending emails and sending up video calls to tracking and checking payments from potential new members of IAG. Today I had the opportunity to attend and participate in our Investor Day where we had three startups pitch. The three companies were NEUmiRNA Therapeutics, a startup developing disease-modifying RNA therapies for neurological disorders, Wolsal, a startup revolutionizing B2B sales, and Stema, an AI-based career platform that help companies recruit engineers through personalised conversation. Though their investment pitches were in Italian, it was very interesting to see what all of our work has been culminating to and I enjoyed connecting with many business angels and founders.

Through my travels around Milan and Italy I have been having a phenomenal time. As I wrote about in my previous entry we just traveled to Florence and explored a new and far different city from Milan. It was beautiful seeing the Duomo and the intricate sculpting and artwork at the Uffizi. As we made our way through the museum we were amazed at the sheer size and amount of artwork in the Uffizi and thought about how long it would take to really take in the entire museum. Afterwards, we continued exploring and visited a couple different leather shops where we ended up buying a few different items for ourselves and family back home. We hope to make a trip back to Florence at some point as it was just so amazing.

This week in Professor Gupta’s social responsibility class, we began learning more about free markets and Adam Smith. I found it interesting to learn more about certain ideas like the invisible hand and how when people act in their self-interest, they contribute to society’s overall economic well-being. I found it interesting to see how this related to our reading on deglobalization from Goldman Sachs. The reading explains that trends like slowbalization and deglobalization are causing higher inflation and interest rates. This happens due to less competition from imported goods and higher production costs. This idea aligns with Adam Smith’s free market theory, where changes in trade and supply chains naturally adjust prices and economic conditions in response to new challenges. Finally, I found the second in-class assignment on the morality of free markets exciting as I learned about a new policy introduced by President Biden. It was beneficial to look at both sides of the debate over whether the policy was good or bad, and I enjoyed debating it in class.

During the internship seminar, we had the opportunity to discuss and dive deeper into our own personal culture profiles. It was insightful to learn where I lean heavily regarding biases based on nationality, where I was raised, and any other groups. Following this, I enjoyed participating in the Parable of the Sadhu case study. It was enlightening to see how others handle situations when a bigger personal goal is at stake and how that relates to corporations. The story is an exciting way to self-reflect on what you would do in that circumstance. I could not have done what all the travelers did and left the Sadhu to the group behind, more or less to pass away. It was interesting to see the proportion of the class that would choose to bring the Sadhu to safety versus going to achieve their personal goals.

Moving on to work, I have settled in at IAG in my role with the team, and we all get along excellently. I worked my first full day of this internship; seeing what a true 9 am to 6 pm job looks like was interesting. It has opened my eyes to how tiring corporate life will eventually be. I finished two big tasks this week: successfully converting all of the innovation information to Monday.com. Additionally, I spent time writing a program that automatically sends the daily metrics to everyone on the team every morning at 9 am. I’m looking forward to this upcoming week. We have our Investor Day this Thursday, where I can watch start-ups pitch to our business angel investors live. 

Over this past weekend, I traveled to Florence with Mahan, Cooper, Jack, Charlie, and Evan, and we had a great time. It was interesting to compare Florence to Milan in terms of visible tourism. Florence is a true tourist haven, busy with visitors from all over the world. Florence has a long history, stunning architecture, and a vibrant cultural scene, making it a magnet for tourists. This is evident in the crowded streets and busy attractions. Although both are popular with tourists, Florence is an even more popular destination, and it has a different vibe with its focus on fashion, business, and modern attractions. The difference in the tourist experience between the two cities was quite fascinating to observe. On Friday night, we celebrated Jack’s birthday and had a phenomenal Florentine dinner at Trattoria 13 Gobbi, including a Florentine steak and many other delicious foods.

Since arriving in Milan, I have examined corporations and their social responsibilities to the greater world, their shareholders, and their employees. Taking this course has opened my eyes to a different perspective I had not considered before. An integral part of the course is the regular reading and analysis of the Wall Street Journal. The journal’s detailed articles and analyses have highlighted corporations’ strategies to manage their responsibilities and handle ethical challenges. These real-world examples have provided a practical framework connecting theoretical study to business practices. By consistently engaging with the journal’s content, I have better understood how global trends and financial news impact corporate behavior and decision-making. This broader perspective has given me greater confidence in discussing complex topics related to corporate social responsibility and international markets.

This week in the internship seminar, we began learning about what work life is like in Milan, which I found extremely valuable as it differs significantly from the US in certain aspects. Typically, there needs to be more direction when work is assigned, and you must clarify to understand the full scope of what is required to get done. I have also learned always to say yes when my coworkers ask if I would like coffee, as it is more of a social thing here and helps build camaraderie. Additionally, I regularly contact my supervisor, Nicoletta, to set up meetings or send her messages. Hence, she knows what work I am doing to ensure I am on the right track. This approach has helped me adapt more smoothly to the work culture in Milan and maintain clear communication within my team.

Now that I have finished the first week of my internship, I am getting in the swing of things and feel like I am a part of the team. I have moved their system from Google Sheets to Monday.com, a project management software. This week, I created a system where any changes made in their Google Sheets are automatically updated on Monday.com through Zapier. I put together an algorithm to ensure that the information is sent accurately so it outputs correctly on Monday.com for easy understanding and viewing by my supervisor and colleagues. Also, I set up an integration for our upcoming program, Boom.AI, where whenever someone completes a Typeform signup, it automatically fills out the details on Monday.com. It also calculates the number of modules people want to see and the overall price paid based on their selections.

Over this weekend, we all had the opportunity to travel to the Italian Alps and climb and zipline at a ropes course with beautiful mountain views and later hike to see the lake in the mountains. The only downside was we had to wake up very early at 5 in the morning. IES began the bus ride early so we could make the most of our trip there. Before going to the Alps, we stopped at a rest stop where I picked out a massive Kinder bar, which turned out to be twenty-four normal. I have become addicted to them ever since arriving in Milan. Once we arrived, the ropes course did not disappoint and was a great experience overall. However, the hike did not go according to plan. We were nearing the finish when we began walking across a very icey and narrow strip of snow to reach the top. Some people ahead of us had already gotten past, so they continued; however, when we reached this part, Marta told us we must turn back around and head back as it was deemed too unsafe. Though it was a letdown, we were happy to be safe and not climb on the edge of a slippery mountain. Once we made it back, we stopped inside the restaurant, and I found a picture of the lake on the wall, so I captured that as a memory.

Terrace at IAG where we have our morning espressos

Inside of All’antico Vinaio where I went for lunch on Wednesday

Dinner on Friday night at Il Mannarino was delicious

Picture of the lake in the restaurant in the Alps

Thinking back to this past spring semester, when we were still at Lehigh, the meetings before we left for Milan were very insightful. Reviewing the course objectives and goals highlighted the importance of staying informed and critically analyzing current events through the Wall Street Journal. Reading and analyzing the Wall Street Journal daily has given me a deeper understanding of corporate social responsibility and its evolving role in business. Regularly scanning for relevant articles and reading the latest news in finance and other ongoing stories has significantly enhanced my knowledge of corporate social responsibility and the world. I appreciate how these activities keep me updated on significant developments and strengthen my ability to connect theoretical concepts with real-world applications. The insights gained from these readings have broadened my perspective, making me more aware of global trends and the interconnectedness of markets and industries. As a result, I feel more knowledgeable and confident now when discussing complex topics. This routine of continuous reading and learning reinforces the importance of being well-read and well-informed in the fast-paced and always-changing world.

After having the internship seminar today, I plan to delve deeper into the company’s mission statement and overall goals to articulate them effectively on my resume and in interviews. Also, when discussing the pros and cons of companies having previous interns, specifically with my internship at Italian Angels for Growth (IAG), there was a high expectation for new interns given that last year, they had such a successful and hardworking intern. So, I was expected to handle the same amount of work, adding some more initial pressure than I had expected. Despite this, I am excited to take on these complex tasks and get involved in IAG. Finally, when discussing cultural behaviors and attitudes, I initially saw myself in the middle regarding collaboration. Still, after the insightful discussions during class, I lean more towards individualism than collectivism in my working style based on individual versus group grading.

In my first two days as an Innovation Network Specialist at IAG, I have begun connecting with potential speakers for our innovation events, sending messages, and scheduling calls to see if they would participate. Additionally, I started transferring information from Google Sheets to the cloud-based project management tool Monday.com to improve our workflow and organization, as everything is currently on Google Sheets, and it is harder to understand what work needs to be done and when. The added integration through other apps will provide smooth movement of information. Over my time at IAG, I will continue these efforts and assist in organizing our upcoming major events and programs, ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently. So far, it has been a great experience with my coworkers, and I want to continue learning more about the company and the people. 

During our time in Milan, we explored many places, from the lively canals of Navigli to the massive Duomo. We shopped at many stores and even saw a street performer at the Duomo whose incredible skills amazed us. The next day, we traveled with IES to Lake Maggiore, where we enjoyed a phenomenal lunch featuring grilled salmon, trout, and the local fish caught fresh from the lake. Seeing the peacocks roaming each island and the massive mansions on the beautiful landscape was fascinating. Then, that night, we attended an AC Milan game at San Siro. Although the match ended in a draw, it was exhilarating to experience European football in person and witness the passion and intensity of the fans, who did not stop cheering for the entire second half.

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The street performer we saw near the Duomo

This past Thursday, we had the opportunity to learn more about the Lehigh-in-Milan program and its offerings. I am even more excited after learning about the intricacies of the course and how this adventure will span far beyond the classroom, blending cultural exploration and real-world issues. The course “Public Corporations: Ethics Governance and Social Responsibility” provides a good look into business and ethics, which I have always been interested in. I expect to learn about current events and their impact on the world. Also, I want to challenge myself to understand corporations’ numerous responsibilities to society better while learning from others’ opinions. Given the range of information that will be taught or discussed throughout the course, I hope to develop a well-rounded perspective on how businesses manage their societal roles. The content of this class will constantly evolve, hopefully allowing me to apply my critical thinking skills to real-world scenarios.

While in the internship seminar, I hope to gain professional insights into my resume and interviewing skills to prepare myself better to attain an internship for the summer of 2025. I look forward to bridging the gap between our classroom discussions and any challenges I encounter during my internship or while in the seminar. This will allow me to reflect on my daily experiences during the internship with my peers, share new ideas I have learned throughout the job, or gain beneficial feedback in a more structured manner from both my professors and peers. I expect this seminar will provide me with a space to learn, apply, and reflect on my experiences in Milan, whether in the classroom, at work, or while exploring.

The internship aspect of the program is not just essential but one of the most exciting parts of studying abroad. It offers a unique opportunity to gain a real glimpse into working for and understanding Italian companies and workplace culture in another country. I am eager to engage in meaningful projects that will positively impact the company and possibly the world while aligning with my interests. I anticipate gaining valuable real-world business experience and meaningful connections with coworkers and supervisors (s). I am particularly excited about the prospect of this internship being a significant talking point in future interviews, allowing me to speak specifically about the work I will accomplish this summer.

Finally, the program’s cultural immersion into Milanese and Italian culture is a standout part of the program that promises to enrich my perspective of the world, especially as someone who has not yet had the opportunity to travel to Europe. The prospect of both group and personal travels around the country and possibly beyond Italy fills me with excitement. Italy’s rich history, traditions, and landscapes offer a perfect gateway to discovering a new continent. These travel experiences are not just about sightseeing in each city or destination but about immersing myself in another culture and experiencing new perspectives and ideas. From savoring Italy’s phenomenal cuisine to navigating Milan’s vibrant streets, I am eager to fully embrace this new and exciting culture.