This week in Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility class, we wrapped up our semester’s worth of work with presentations.  There were 10 groups and each group had a different topic.  My group’s topic was Artificial Intelligence and Corporate Social Responsibility.  We were able to identify several issues that we thought could potentially affect society as a result of artificial intelligence.  We also questioned how much responsibility companies have to protect people from the negative effects of the products they’re releasing, specifically regarding AI.  I thought that my peers presented well and that hearing their presentations gave a lot of insight into topics important to the final paper that my group had to do.  I also thought that many of the presentations allowed for great discussion after them regarding people’s personal experiences and expectations.

In our Internship Seminar class this week, we also had a day of presentations.  Before we began those, we did some interview preparation that I thought was really useful to prepare me for when I begin applying for domestic internships.  It was good to hear my peers’ responses and critique them because it also helped me realize things that I missed or should add as well.  I enjoyed seeing where all of my peers had gone to do their research and seeing the pictures they took.  I thought it was also surprising how many different pieces of information were found during the research because most groups presented on the same topic.  Overall, I thought that the class was really helpful in my acclimation to Italy and my internship as well as understanding the differences in culture.

This week at my internship was another slow one, which I wasn’t mad about.  We received a request to create more graphics to be sent out in next month’s newsletter and be posted onto LinkedIn.  We also edited some posts that were to be in both Italian and English to make sure that the translation was correct.  We got to see the first newsletter with some of our work in it go out and it was so great to see our work put into action.  I said my goodbyes to all of my coworkers and ate lunch with them and played foosball one last time.  I really enjoyed my experience at LG Electronics and am glad that I got this opportunity. 

This weekend, I stayed in Milan once again and was able to go to some places that I had previously missed.  Saturday, I spent about 5 hours just exploring and eating around Milan.  I went to Brera, and saw the Teatro la Scala and the botanical gardens and I saw the statue of Leonardo DaVinci as well.  After, I saw the Columns of San Lorenzo and passed by some takeaway 5 euro spritzes that I couldn’t pass up.  I went out to dinner twice with people from this program  and aperitivo twice as well, once with the other interns.  I also went to this famous panzerotti place by the Duomo that I really enjoyed.  I thought that eating and partaking in Italian culture was the perfect way to say goodbye.

 

Some gelato that I had

A plant at the botanical garden

Some of the pasta from one of my dinners this week

A picture from Brera

In Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility class this week, we talked about tech companies and their relation to unethical labor practices.  Apple was the focus of our conversation, as we had read a case study centered around the company to prepare for class.  We discussed how Apple was the target of several exposés even though many tech companies rely on the same type of exploitation.  We also talked about why news outlets like BBC might be targeting the company.  We then discussed whether the suppliers’ actions were something that needed to be controlled by the companies contracting them.

This week in our internship seminar class, we discussed our thoughts on last week’s networking event as well as any updates or things we’ve noticed since our last class.  We identified some things that we learned in class that helped us to navigate our workplace better as well as Italy in general.  We also had a resume workshop that zeroed in on how we could improve our resume and add in our internship experience in Milan.  We got some very useful tips regarding formatting and how to really make your writing represent you and your experiences better.  The last thing we did in class was watch a video about how to most effectively and efficiently speak in public.  There were many tactics demonstrated such as eye contact, pausing instead of using like or so and having an open face.

At my internship, it was more of an opportunity to get to know my coworkers as we wrap up our experience in Milan.  Our project supervisor is on holiday for the entire week and didn’t leave us any new tasks to complete.  We’ve just been fine tuning what we’ve done on previous work days so that when she gets back and it’s time to present what we’ve done over the past two weeks, it will be as presentable as possible.  We have been trying to finalize the optimism events that are going to take place during our final week of working and come up with a final schedule for that.  We have also finalized the newsletter for this month, implementing some of our ideas and graphics.

On Saturday morning, my family arrived in Milan.  I met them at Milano Centrale and guided them through traveling on the metro and trams as well as purchasing their 3 day passes.  On Saturday, I took them to the Duomo, the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and the Starbucks Roastery.  After that, we got lunch and I brought them to their hotel.  For dinner we went to this delicious pizza place and in the morning we flew to Rome.  We saw the Colosseum and the Vatican and just walked around the city.  On Monday, we did a cooking class that was really fun and taught us some really useful recipes.  The food that we made was delicious, and the menu included traditional bruschetta, lasagna and tiramisu.  We even made the pasta from scratch which was surprisingly easier than I expected.

My family and I at the Vatican

The Colosseum in Rome

The results of our cooking class

My mom and I at aperitivo

In Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility class this week, we discussed several wall street journal articles that addressed several current issues in society.  One centered on a decrease in DEI initiatives taken on by companies and another was about weight loss drugs and their infiltration into the market.  We talked about the ways in which DEI initiatives have been challenged by the Supreme Court when it came to Affirmative Action and if they are fair.  We concluded that in order for these companies to be equitable it’s important for them to look at outcome v. opportunity.  We also discussed how we thought the environmental impact of these weight loss drugs could be reduced and if there was a market solution to the issue.  On a similar note, we debated whether or not the promise of stakeholder capitalism was illusory.  We also came up with reasons why we thought that stakeholder capitalism might not be able to work right now or why we thought the idea of it was beneficial.

This week at my internship, we really zeroed in on perfecting our project and ensuring that it was presentable to our boss.  We wanted to make sure that we would see the positive effects of it prior to our departure back to the states.  We finished our last ideas for our monthly newsletter and crafted the one specifically for the month of June.  We also received a new project that entailed figuring out ways to make the office more green which can include conserving energy or setting up a new recycling program, as well as making people aware of their carbon footprint.  We also brainstormed more ideas about how to bridge the gap between generations at this office and further developed the mentorship program strategy.   We created some more graphics for the event that we’ll hopefully be hosting and that’s it

Over the weekend, I spent some time back in Cinque Terre, first checking out the beauty of Riomaggiore and then relaxing on the beach in Monterosso.  I had a great time taking in the view of all the colorful buildings and the clear blue water.  We met several people and chatted with them which we also thought helped to enhance our experience there.  Funny enough, when it was time to eat, I chose the one thing on the menu that I was allergic to and of course had a bad reaction.  After I dealt with that, we all headed over to Monterosso to be by the water.  The weather was perfect and the water was really refreshing.  On Monday, I went out to a local club and was able to navigate getting there by myself and also made some friends.  It was a really great experience and made me a lot more comfortable with going out by myself and being confident that I can approach people first.  Lastly, on Wednesday, ATM went on strike causing delays and other commuting difficulties.  It was scheduled to begin at 9 and at 8:59, everyone on the tram that I was on was told to get off.  That resulted in me having to take a 50 minute walk to work which wasn’t exactly ideal.

 

A picture from our night out

Colorful homes in Riomaggiore

A view of the beach in Monterosso

A very photogenic pigeon

In Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility class this week, we watched the rest of the documentary “The Corporation” and discussed a few thoughts that arose from watching it.  I think that my group and I had a very useful and eye opening discussion regarding the negative externalities that companies produce and who’s responsible for keeping these companies in power.  We debated just how many individual rights corporations should have since they don’t face the same consequences as actual individuals.  We also debated about the magnitude of the punishments that are given to corporations and if it’s sufficient.  On our second day of class this week, we had a forma debate regarding the topic “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.”  My classmates presented reasonable arguments for both sides, but in my opinion, I think that CSR and maximizing shareholder value can coexist.  One does not have to dictate the other.

In our internship seminar class today, we discussed high and low context cultures and things that we’ve noticed about Italians and their communication that might not be obvious to tourists.  We noticed how important greetings were to many Italians and how expressive they are as well as trusting once you’ve established a relationship with them.  We also talked about whether our workplaces were more egalitarian or hierarchical and how we could identify whether or not they were.  Some things we talked about were the structure of our workplaces, such as how offices are set up and how certain employees might act around their boss.  Lastly, we talked about what we thought made a good boss and how the expectations of a good boss might differ from culture to culture.  Then we switched gears in class to talk about our group project, which I’m actually very excited to get started on.  My group chose a really interesting question (no spoilers) that I think will be a good way for us to understand Italians who might be in the minority. 

At my internship this week, we worked on creating graphics for a monthly newsletter that we will be sending out to the members of the office.  We also created scripts for about the next 12 months for them to paste into the different sections that we have for the newsletter, to make things simple, especially after we’re gone.  We planned some activities to include in a newcomer’s event that our supervisor is leading and we also created an invitation for that meeting.  We did the same thing for an intern meeting that she’ll be hosting in order to allow students to practice their presentation skills.  We planned out an initiative that’s common among LG offices worldwide which is Optimism Week, inspired by LG’s Optimism Campaign.  We’re looking for a way to brighten up the days of the staff that work here, especially after busy season, by celebrating them and reminding them of the ways that they can find optimism in the workplace.  Today we presented what we had come up with so far for week 4 and got feedback from our supervisor regarding what to fix.

Over the weekend, I spent some time relaxing from Thursday- Friday.  I just stayed in and caught up on work which was nice and also caught up with my family.  On Saturday, I traveled to Cinque Terre for the day which was about a 3 hour train ride South of Milan.  It was really beautiful.  The few stops in the town prior to and after the Monterosso stop that we got off of were all beach towns and were such a pleasant view.  Once we got off the train, it was only about 9:30, so we walked around while we waited for it to get warmer outside.  In the town that we were in, there were two sides of the beach and we settled in on the calmer and quieter side.  Before that, we stopped for breakfast, getting pancakes, eggs and fruit at this little cafe with outdoor seating.  We then walked around the town scouting where we’d go for lunch and just exploring the beauty of it.  Once we’d figured out lunch, we went straight to the beach and rented an umbrella and chairs.  We were super tired after our train so we tanned and napped for a few hours or so and then got lunch.  We ate at this nice restaurant and got this delicious salmon ravioli.  It was actually a pretty quick meal, so after, we went back to the beach and I went for a swim.  The water was perfectly tempered and it was a very enjoyable experience. 

View from one side of the beach in Monterosso

Breakfast before the beach

A picture of a beautiful building in the town by the beach

A view from the opposite side of the beach

In our internship seminar this week, we learned a lot more about Italians, how their society runs and things that are important to their culture.  We learned information about the neighboring cities in Lombardy like Bergamo and Brescia and how they have a little rivalry going.  We also learned a little bit about the foods they ate as well.  I think the majority of our discussion focused on the economy in Italy and how slowly it’s progressing as well as how many micro businesses it’s made up of.  I was not expecting there to be so many, it was around 92-93%.  Additionally, the average salary here is much less than in the US, but we were also reminded that the cost of public universities here is very minimal and healthcare is essentially free as well.  We learned that in the South of Italy, the cost of living tends to be much less when compared to the North, especially Lombardy.  We saw the makeup of Italy’s political parties which is extensive and the hesitancy for nationalism here.  Lastly, we saw some things about American culture that confused Italians like excessive college gear and crying during elections which I thought was a little bit funny.

 

At my internship, my peers and I are actively working on creating a newsletter for the office.  They used to do one, however, they stopped and now we’re on a mission to start it back up again.  We’re trying to revamp it, keeping the format that is required by LG corporations but adding in categories for them to write about.  We’re going to create the one for next month and leave them with our notes and research and ideas so that they can just copy and paste them into templates for the next year.  We want to leave them something that they can easily continue and keep up with after we’re gone.  Some of the sections that we’ve come up with include company updates, self care station, corporate identity, diversity and inclusion and a survey where employees can suggest anything that should be in the next newsletter.  We also have come up with activities for the staff to do regarding D & I and graphics for them to post both in the newsletter and on Linkedin for certain occasions.

 

This section of my blog is going to be strictly about my travels to and from France and my experience in Paris.  Get ready!  Last Thursday, I took a tram to the metro to Milano Centrale to begin my venture to Malpensa Airport around 6.  When I arrived at the airport after about an hour and a half, my flight had been delayed.  We took off around 10:30 and landed by 12.  When I landed at Charles de Gaulle airport, I hopped on this bus that said it went to Paris and ended up in the middle of nowhere.  I was stranded, but luckily found a way to call an Uber using safari (the app had offloaded), my Airbnb was only 25 minutes away.  When I got there, around 2:30, my friends greeted me happily.  They were with Lehigh doing a program in Belgium and we met in Paris.  After what felt like a nap, it was 10am and time to get ready for the day.  

 

We began with a walking tour of Paris which included the Luxembourg Gardens, the Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, the Panthéon and of course the Eiffel Tower.  The Gardens were my personal favorite and something that I hadn’t heard anything about prior.  I had the freshest strawberries and a delicious cookie butter crepe on the journey as well.  We stopped for lunch at this Italian restaurant and it was actually delicious.  At the Eiffel Tower, we bought tickets and decided to go up to the top and the view was amazing.  After that, we stopped home which was about 40 minutes away and got ready for dinner.  We went to a restaurant called Chez Ming which was a Chinese restaurant that offered 4 course meals for €26 and a view of the Eiffel Tower.  We watched it sparkle right after the 10pm sunset.  Then we walked around for the rest of the night before heading home.  On the second day, we went to an interactive sports museum which was actually pretty cool and the Arc de Triomphe.  We then got dinner and prepared to go out.  We went to different bars on this strip in Paris and it was actually a lot of fun.  Once we got home, I packed, took a two hour nap then headed to Orly airport to come back to Milan.

My friends and I at the Luxembourg Gardens

A picture of the Panthéon

Part of our 4 course meals

The Eiffel Tower glowing after dark

I believe that this class started off with a bang and I honestly appreciate jumping right into things over sugar coating them.  I was surprised at how we just began right away with people presenting not only their Wall Street Journals but their findings on research regarding Adam Smith and free markets.  I also think that the required readings that we have had so far have really enlightened me on a topic that I never really thought about prior to this.  It hadn’t really crossed my mind just how much say businesses have in creating an equitable space for different people, not only in the market but also just in general.  I feel like I’m probably not the only person who’s missed this fact also.  It’s easy to blame things on the government and look to them to solve every solution, but there are also these business entities who also have a lot of power in society and are capable of bringing change.  I also really liked the discussion that we had in Wednesday’s class regarding Planet Fitness’ policies.  I thought it was interesting to see different people’s perspectives on an issue that is becoming more and more prevalent in today’s society.  I also like the way that different situations are reframed so that people on one side might understand a different perspective of an argument.  I’m excited to continue talking about more current events and issues that are relevant to our lives.

I thought that our internship seminar class this week was also a chance to get to know and understand a little more about each other’s perspectives.  We went over our own personal cultural profiles and some people went into depth about the origin of them and how they developed.  It was nice to hear people be self-aware and attribute some of their traits to their environments.  Additionally, I thought that the debate that we did in class was a good glimpse into what is expected from us in future debates.  It was fun to argue educationally about a topic that I’m not very familiar with.  I also liked the questions that were raised during this debate about morality and ethicality.  When you really think about it, ethics is subjective to its audience, and that was one big takeaway from our lesson, at least for me.  One thing might be ethical to one person and not ethical enough to someone else.  I compared it to companies and how they all have different codes of ethics.  That is because there is no one way to be ethical, it all depends on who’s completing the action.  The short story that we read was able to be dissected very well and I think that it helped us to understand the choices made.

In my internship this week, there were several positives and growth opportunities that I experienced.  One of the positive things that I experienced was being added to the workplace group chat where they organize aperitivo and lunches together.  I really got to see what the community was like here and I actually am a big fan of it!  We went out to lunch with some of the 6 month Italian interns and other staff here and chatted about things to do in Italy and differences between our countries when it came to lifestyle, education, etc.  Then we went out again the following day and had pizza at a restaurant.  It was really nice to see how outgoing everyone is even with casual interactions like coffee break.  Additionally, I noticed that everyone is pretty flexible here, meetings are often canceled or moved around which isn’t a bad or good thing specifically but definitely not super rigid.  There was a celebration for World Environment Day as well that allowed us to all bond, take some pictures and take a plant home with us.  On Thursday we had 4 meetings that overviewed information that we need for our project and we also presented what we had so far.  One thing that the other 3 IES interns and I noticed was that we have to ask to schedule check ins.  We were waiting for our supervisor to schedule a meeting, but realized it would be more beneficial for us to just ask for one so we could move on with more of the project.  Once we finally checked in, it was a relief to all of us because we figured out which parts of our project were feasible and liked by the employees at LG.

Since my last blog, I’ve done a yoga class that included aperitivo, a face mask workshop at Lush and I traveled to Venice for a day trip.  The yoga class was pretty fun, (more the aperitivo part than anything else) about half of the people signed up didn’t show so we got to take home a lot of leftovers and a bottle of wine.  Venice was super fun although I think I would’ve enjoyed it more had I gotten more sleep the night before.  I had gone to explore the party scene the night before.  Our train left at 6:25am so by the time I got to my apartment, I could only afford to take a 30 minute nap.  We took a 3 hour train there and got some breakfast at this little bar.  After, we walked around, saw some of the canals and beautiful homes, bridges and architecture.  Next, we met some friends who were already in Venice for lunch and got gelato.  We didn’t formally do a gondola ride, but we took pictures in one and that was nice.  Since we had deadlines to meet, we had to leave slightly earlier than we wanted around 5 and couldn’t fit Murano and Burano in.  The ride back was incredibly long, and we got back around 9.  All in all, I’m really starting to get accustomed to the type of traveling done here like trams and the metro and other things that are embedded into Italian culture, like aperitivo and socializing over food and drinks.  I also traveled to Paris on Thursday and will tell you more about that in my next blog.

Delicious pizza from lunch with my coworkers

World Environment Day at LG

Sofia and I at blinded yoga and aperitivo

Rory and I on a bridge in Venice

(1)

As we hiked up the mountain today, I was very amazed to see how dense and beautiful the mountains, forest and nature are here.  It made me wonder about what regulations Italy and other European countries have in order to protect it and how it compares to regulations that we have in the US.  I’d be curious to discuss this in class and the overlap with regulating the pollution that companies are able to place into nature, whether that be dumping things into the water or onto land, etc.  I’m also curious about worker protections here and how companies respond to things like strikes and what they are and aren’t allowed to do when they happen.  Earlier this week, the ATM workers went on strike, I’m not sure why, but I would be interested in discussing if they’re allowed to fire workers in this case.

(2)

In terms of internship seminar, I’m excited to get into our group project.  Amanda made it seem really fun and like an opportunity to explore the city and get points for it.  I’m also looking forward to what other insight on the Italian workplace she might have for us.  I feel as though this class will make me much more comfortable in terms of my internship because it’s a place where I can ask questions and inquire about things that I might not want to inquire about at work.  I like how this class is making us reflect on not only our personal values, but also our internship experiences because I feel like that will help solidify that we are learning and growing through this experience.  I feel like being able to track my progress through things like the internship journal and other assignments will be very useful to me when I look back on it.

(3)
In the last blog I wrote, I had just had my first day of internship and it actually had gone pretty well.  To recap, we didn’t do much work that day, it was mostly introducing us to everyone who worked in the office and getting a tour of the space.  We also went through a presentation that told us a little bit of LG’s history and their brand values as well as what the project’s purpose and deliverables would be.  On the second and third day, we got started with our work.  We created infographics, a slideshow and a document with all of our ideas and did other research as well.  We then formulated questions to ask our supervisor to ensure that we were going in the right direction with the project and to collect more information.  I’m excited to see how my peers and I can positively impact the Milan LG office through our project.

(4)

Since I last wrote an entry, I haven’t done too much exploring of Milan, as I’m adjusting to my new schedule.  However, I did eat at two pretty good Italian restaurants that had delicious pasta and I did discover Cioccolato al Latte which is my favorite drink since I don’t drink coffee.  I tried an aperol spritz at the IES welcome event and was surprised at how good it was.  I also learned a lot more words in Italian thanks to Emanuela, our bootcamp instructor.  The most eventful thing that I did this week was the Alps trip with my peers.  It was so fun, but also more physically challenging than expected.  It was a great opportunity to bond with everyone, especially those who I don’t know very well.  I went up on the ropes course with new people and faced my fears with them.  I had several bad landings after the zip lines and kept bouncing back into the middle.  Everything else was fine though.  On the hike up, our views were unreal, the landscapes that Italy has shocked me more and more everyday.  As we journeyed to Lake Arpy, we came to a part of the path that was trodden in snow, fearfully, half of us continued, taking tumbles here and there.  The view was definitely worth the scare though and I have no regrets.  Today, I took a day trip to Venice and was able to sail the canals, go into a gondola, see the beautiful architecture and just enjoy the scenery.  It was really nice to just be able to spend the day with friends and enjoy a new and beautiful place.

Me standing in front of Lake Arpy

My chai latte and croissant with jelly from the Starbucks Roastery

A delicious bowl of pasta

The view from a part of our hike

I would say that after seeing a couple of the WSJ posts, I was able to get a glimpse of what topics interested certain people in the course and what was important to them.  From that, I can gather that not only are our conversations going to be very relevant to the issues that we are faced with daily, but they’re also going to get deep.  Some of the topics were very personal, whether it be in terms of abortion or other things which helps me to tell what topics we will most likely get passionate about when discussing and debating in class.  On the other hand, actually seeing Italy, there are some environmental things that I’ve noticed here that might be interesting to talk about in class.  I’m curious about the waste and recycling regulations here and whether big corporations enforce recycling like other places do.  In aparto alone, there are like 5 different garbage bins for different types of waste and recycling.  I’m also curious to zero in on how Italian companies are improving their ESG compared to companies in the US because I feel like I’ve noticed a bigger push to be sustainable here.  Especially when it comes to the way they travel here, mostly by public transportation.

I thought that today’s internship seminar was a great introduction to the course.  It allowed us to reflect not only on our values, but also on the experiences that we’ve had both in the city and in the workplace this past week.  I learned a lot about Italian culture that confirmed some of the things I had noticed and introduced me to things I had not yet seen.  I thought it was really interesting how much Italians value companionship and bonding with their coworkers.  It’s kind of refreshing to see how collaborative and fun many of them are in the office rather than competitive and to themselves as we’re often used to seeing.  Those were two aspects of Italian workplace culture that really stood out to me from class.  I also thoroughly enjoyed the portion where we discussed the feedback from previous Lehigh interns because I felt like that information was really valuable and helpful.  In terms of my values, it really made me reconsider what side I leaned towards, especially when it came to being an individualist or collectivist.  I feel like many of my feelings on the topics discussed were situational and not set.

Today was my first day interning and it really made me look forward to beginning my project and just interacting with the company more.  I’m working with LG electronics which makes up a third of LG corporations and focuses on providing innovative and useful electronic appliances for both businesses as well as consumers.  Their product lists, both b2b and b2c are very extensive and impressive and I was able to preview many of those products in their showroom during my office tour.  I was genuinely amazed by the way they’re integrating current technology and trends into their products such as AI and work on the go.  Their collaborations with fashion companies in terms of billboards and other displays were also super cool and their OLED products were so impressive.  My internship is human resources and marketing based and it’s focused on employer branding strategies and promoting DEI in the workplace.  My peers and I are expected to come up with activities that are to be done in the LG Milan office and a communication plan that demonstrates the activities to internal and external stakeholders.  The last deliverable is creating desirable content that grabs people’s attention and draws them to LG.  This all aligns with LGs mission statement which is “Innovation For a Better Life”.  They elaborate on that by saying “We create a better life for people and a better future for our planet through smart life solutions.”  We are trying to find innovative ways to reach consumers and people on job searches who might not have considered LG prior.

Over the weekend, IES hosted a trip to Lake Maggiore where the majority of my cultural immersion so far took place.  Prior to that I had gone out to eat a few times with a combination of people from the Lehigh in Milan program as well as IES abroad students from Indiana University.  Through that, I was able to try several different foods native to Italy which of course included pizza and pasta.  I was able to see that the food is much more fresh here.  I also went to the grocery store near aparto and was interested to see how differently those are structured.  One thing that really shocked me in my first week here was the structure of the meals, breakfast being very light, then lunch, then aperitivo which I think is my favorite time to eat and then dinner.  I had aperitivo with some friends in Navigli and was able to capture some great pictures and take in its bustling scene.  

I was completely mesmerized at Lake Maggiore, the mountain communities that we could see from the water, the surrounding town that just screamed luxury and the 3 islands themselves.  The botanical gardens were gorgeous and so was the architecture. I was shocked at all of the different species on Isola Madre that you usually don’t see together at home.  I was also surprised to hear that only 50 people inhabited Isola dei Pescatori.  The food that we ate on that island was delicious and gave me the opportunity to bond with 5 girls that are helping to make this trip even more special.  When we arrived at Isola Bella, the palace was absolutely breathtaking.  With every room I was more and more surprised by its beauty.  It also gave a lot of information regarding the rich history of the islands and Italy itself.  This short couple of days that I’ve been here has given me so much hope for these next 6 weeks.  Side note, I was really sad to see the notification telling us to pet the peacocks after we had already left.  I was considering doing it, but a friend convinced me not to lol 🙁

 

 

Breakfast on the first day of class

Rory and I on Isola Bella

A view of Navigli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sunrise from Aparto

I’m expecting to learn a lot of new knowledge from this class that might not have been touched upon in the business classes that I’ve taken previously.  I expect this class to require me to acquire a new skill set because I’m going to have to take on roles and make decisions regarding issues that I might not agree with.  I expect to elaborate on what I’ve learned about ethicality in the business world by adding in the sustainability component that I have yet to discuss.  I’m also expecting to improve on my understanding of management, especially in terms of being ethical.  Lastly, I expect to engage with a lot of intelligent and new peers that I haven’t gotten the opportunity to interact with yet.

I haven’t really done too much internship preparation this year because I knew that my goal this semester was to study abroad and my goal for my junior summer was to secure an internship here in the US.  I’m expecting to do a lot of reflection regarding the internship that I get placed into and discussion about how I can get the most out of it.  I’m expecting to practice several skills necessary for good workplace etiquette through different group activities and exercises.  I’m expecting several presentations from professionals in the field explaining their experiences and gaining some interior knowledge.  I’m expecting to learn how to carefully and strategically craft the tools needed to secure internships and full time jobs, such as interview preparation and resume writing.

I haven’t been placed yet internship wise and I am not 100% sure what my focus will be on, however, I know that whatever it ends up being will prepare me greatly for a domestic internship next summer.  I’m expecting to create connections with professionals and expand my network which could potentially help me get a full time job.  I’m also expecting to get hands-on experience and work around a plethora of driven people who will motivate me to be the same.  I expect to get accustomed to how working an actual corporate job might go and how different cultures do different things.  I’m excited to learn more technical skills that will apply more directly to my future career.  Lastly, I’m expecting feedback and advice that I can apply in my day to day work to improve my skills both during the internship and after it concludes.

In terms of cultural immersion, this is the least nerve wracking part of the trip for me.  I’m excited to explore a new place and create new relationships with the people that I am traveling with.  I’m expecting many opportunities to get out, try new foods and activities, such as hiking, taking bullet trains, traveling to countries outside of Italy and exploring many of the sights that Italy has to offer.  I’m expecting to learn about the way Italians live and the structure of their society, I’m also expecting to learn a bit of their language as well and expand my ability to communicate with different people.  I’m excited to escape the US and see just how different other cultures are outside of it.  Lastly, I’m expecting to learn more about myself and my independence and how I’m able to manage many different things at once.