This week in the Corporate Social responsibility class we went through presentations. One that I found to be very interesting was the one on cancel culture. More specifically I found it interesting when they gave the statistics about the percentage of people who supported it but gave quotes for the different definitions. Although opposing views on the topic, there were so many different definitions and perspectives to cancel culture as a whole. Those who opposed it saw it as something that can harm a company and its business while those who supported it saw it as keeping companies accountable for their actions. I found watching other groups present to be very insightful and eye opening to some topics we did not cover in full depth in class. 

During this week’s internship seminar, we presented and watched our peers’ presentations on various topics in Italian culture. This ranged from sustainability practices in Italy, the understanding of a “Made in Italy” certification, and diversity. After getting a quick lesson on Italian culture through the internship seminar throughout our time here, it was cool to see the “Go” aspect of the presentations where individuals would travel somewhere in Milan to experience/see the idea. Overall, this internship seminar has been very educational and insightful into the everyday life of an Italian. I have learned a lot about myself and with new insights on the culture in Milan, I have increased an understanding of where I hope to go with my career. 

This week in our internship we witnessed the opening of a community food hub in the Off Campus space. One of the innovative elements of the new hub is the implementation of actions to transform no longer fresh foods aimed at producing compost, to combat food waste, but the project also aims to promote volunteering and socio-work integration, thanks to the collaboration of various partners and the construction of a solid territorial support network. It was heartwarming to see so many people get together and support a project that they all care so deeply about. There was a presentation followed by an aperitivo in the office space that allowed people to mix and celebrate the new accomplishment. 

Last Thursday was 4th of July and so we all went out in red white and blue, got a cheeseburger and drinks and celebrated. On Friday I traveled to Venice, meeting a friend studying abroad this summer in Croatia. We stayed in a charming air bnb in San Marco, which was the perfect spot. We explored the streets the first night and got dinner on the water. The next day we visited a nearby island, Lido, and explored a beach there. Later we went for a gondola ride and even got to try paddling it. We also got to see some of the band Pooh (explained to us as the italian Rolling Stones) play in the main square which was really cool.

Fourth of July festivities!

Gondola ride through the canals.

Beautiful church lit up at night in Venice.

Glass shop in Venice.

(1) Academic Enrichment via Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course

In this week’s Corporate Social Responsibility course we discussed the Apple case study on monday and branched to similar topics with our groups. We also talked through two WSJ’s and connected the topic of disclosing worker pay and the increase of delivery fees. For Wednesday’s class we watched Erin Brockovich and answered questions. This movie was so interesting to see the balance between work and family. The movie highlights the company PG&E as they have made the unethical decision to not address the fact that they have polluted the communities water. As they did not take responsibility for their actions, Erin is driven to advocate for the community members. As she takes on this responsibility, we see her struggle with being a single mother as well. She takes an unconventional approach to her job and it is so interesting to see how this benefited her but also shaped her reputation.

(2) Internship Seminar

This week in the internship seminar we discussed how our time in Milan has shaped how we imagine our future. I think for me specifically I have found that working from home is not for me. Maybe a hybrid situation could be nice but in general I would rather be interacting with people, getting to know them, and be able to ask questions in person. Off of that, I value both individual and group work from time to time. I enjoyed collaborating with coworkers but it could get to a point where I wanted to do my own thing, on my own timeline. When going through some of our big takeaways, I said mine was going with the flow. Italians are for sure never on time and so I had to adapt to my environment and figure things out as they go.

(3) Actual Internship

This week in my internship, we dived deeper into some ideas that we had proposed. This included expanding partnerships, donations, engagement and then improving the website. Our first presentation was brief when talking about implementing things into the program so this week we got more specific in what we thought they could do better. We organized things in terms of the most achievable short term and long term. We also interacted with local shops to strengthen partnerships and collect food surplus for the community. Additionally, as it got warmer, we of course took some of our coffee breaks. As I have been working there for about 5 weeks now, it has been nice to get to know my coworkers in a different way. I am very excited for the upcoming week as we have planned an aperitivo for our goodbye.

(4) Cultural Immersion through group and personal travels

This past weekend I traveled to Florence with my mom. We started off the trip with lots of shopping in local shops and markets. The next day we went to Sienna where we were able to see the first ever bank in the world (Banca Monte dei Paschi) and the Palio race. The Palio race was so exciting and great to see the pride each city has. After this we went to a winery where we got to try 12 different wines along with a fabulous 3 course meal. The next day we got a tour of the Uffizi and saw great historical art. We ended the trip coming back to Milan where I got to show my mom around and went to a nice dinner.

Leather market in Florence.

Wine tasting set up where I tried 12 different wines.

Duomo in Siena.

Uffizi Gallery main hallway.

 

(1) Academic Enrichment via Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course

This week’s Corporate Social Responsibility classes piqued my interest with the talk on DEI. While seemingly important for the public’s view, I am fully convinced that it is a show that these large corporations put on. I believe that companies should strive to make positions available to a wide range of people in hope to get a diverse team but when it comes down to picking the right person for the job, I believe it should be based on who is most qualified. I gave an example in class about the CFO of Macys being on the board of directors of BMS which confused me as I have no idea the skills that would be transferred to the pharma industry. I think it is interesting how every large company will most likely have a rubber stamped, perfectly diverse board, but we will never know the qualifications of those members and if they are there because they are making a positive impact or if they are just there for the image.

(2) Internship Seminar

This week we did not have the Internship Seminar because we have the Networking event today. Before the networking event we were tasked to write about our idea of leadership styles and the power dynamic in the workplace. I wrote that  authority comes from achievement. I have always valued achievement over birthright as I was raised with the point of view that you have to work for what you want. So in a workplace, my respect would go towards those who visibly work very hard to be where they are. I wrote that in my workplace it is clear that everyone works very hard and something that I’ve appreciated is seeing the balance between professionalism and family between everyone. 

(3) Actual Internship

This past week we presented more of our findings to our second boss and got feedback. Similar to last week it was a little nerve racking, giving cretics to the people that created the program and have built it from the ground up. But, like anything else, to stay competitive in the market, it needs to grow and adapt to the circumstances around it. Other than that, we also got a tour of Politecnico di Milano which is one of the state schools here. It was so interesting to see the differences compared to Lehigh!! Students are currently studying for final exams so everywhere was packed with people studying. The campus we went to was only the architecture and engineering part so most of what we saw was physical design projects.

(4) Cultural Immersion through group and personal travels

This past weekend I traveled to Ibiza! It was an awesome trip with great weather. On Friday we spent the day at the beach and then went to see Calvin Harris perform. On Saturday we went to a cute town in Ibiza where we were able to see a beautiful church and explore the city. We got dinner along the water as a group and enjoyed the walk home. It was cool to see the different lifestyle in Ibiza and the historical landmarks there. One thing that surprised me was that in the airport they do things very differently than in the US. There were no large gates and you didn’t get your gate number until close to the boarding time. The McDonalds also seemed to be so popular for some reason. The best part of my airport experience was getting gelato while we waited!

Study area in Politecnico di Milano.

Stone walkway in Old Ibiza.

Beach in Ibiza.

Dinner by the water with friends.

(1) Academic Enrichment via Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course

In this week’s Corporate Social Responsibility course we discussed lots of interesting topics that showed a lot about the relationship between a company and its shareholders. Monday’s class I found labor laws to be quite the conversation topic. Finding out about large companies like Gap and H&M that take advantage of child labor was completely shocking to me. Off of that it was interesting to see how these companies would take responsibility and react to the accusations. Despite the accusations of the companies, I believe the response to be crucial to the success of the company after. During Wednesday’s class the debate shifted towards CSR and whether companies should target maximizing profits or whether they should support CSR initiatives. One of the questions I thought was very very insightful was “how does maximizing profits outweigh the negative effects of customer retaliation when not supporting CSR initiatives.” It made the opposing group trip up and really think about their sides’ argument which was fun to watch.

(2) Internship Seminar

This week’s internship seminar touched on more cultural differences including directness, greetings, giving feedback, and hierarchical versus egalitarian. In my workplace I would say it is a mix of both. There is a lot of respect throughout but most of my superiors feel comfortable sharing personal things with each other. Another thing we touched on was American stereotypes in Italy. I have definitely received weird looks for not dressing for the weather and for being too loud on the metro. At work my boss has asked me if I was too chilly when I really was very hot. I asked about if they really do believe they would get sick from the air conditioning and their answer was yes!

(3) Actual Internship

This week we finished up our presentation on our findings. We started off with a breakdown of the strengths and weaknesses of the program and then transitioned into things we found that could be better. To do this, we used case studies of similar programs to compare and contrast things that could be implemented into Sospesa. It was a little intimidating to present things we saw that needed to be improved because it was to our boss who helped create the program from scratch. Another interesting aspect of the presentation was that it was not the typical google slideshow that we would use at Lehigh. Since many of the people in the office have a design background, we were told to use Miro for our presentation. We found some difficulties creating it as we were not so experienced on the creative side but it was an interesting challenge to compare presentation styles. 

(4) Cultural Immersion through group and personal travels

This past weekend I traveled to Nice with a group of friends! Although the train was quite long, it was beautiful to see the blue water, try food, and experience the culture in France. The first day we spent the day at a rock beach and went to a group dinner. The beach was beautiful but there were some jellyfish in the water so it was a little scary at points while I was swimming. It was very intriguing to see the transportation in France as it was very similar to Milan but seemed to be nicer quality. The second day we explored Old Nice, got brunch and shopped. There were many local vendors and street food that was so interesting to see. I found that the majority of the people smoke english, more so than milan, maybe due to the area we were in.

 

Beach at Nice (with lots of jellyfish)!

Live Band performance we saw in Nice.

My amazing truffle pizza at a waterfront restaurant.

Saturday night dinner.

(1) Academic Enrichment via Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course

This week when researching corporate governance for my two companies, I found it fascinating how publicly accessible all the documents were. Having never delved into this area before, I hadn’t realized the extent to which these resources are available to anyone interested. Corporate governance reports, board meeting minutes, executive compensation details, and annual reports are all readily accessible, offering so much information about a company’s operations, strategies, and ethical standards. This transparency not only provides insights into the company’s decision-making processes and accountability but also highlights the emphasis on stakeholder engagement and trust. The availability of these documents underscores the importance of openness in corporate practices and how much one can learn about a company’s internal and external workings through them.

(2) Internship Seminar

Something I found very interesting in the seminar that week was the conversation of values in Italy as I have seen first hand examples at my internship. We discussed the power of family, prevalence of childhood friend groups, and national pride when it comes to sports. One of my coworkers has talked with me about these topics, describing how their views differ from ours. He explained that his family is the most important thing to him and tat his home is a special place where he would never bring anyone but his closest friends to. Which brought the conversation to his relationship with his childhood friends. Unlike our culture, his first few friends growing up have stuck together throughout their lives and will continue to stay close as they age. It was interesting to learn about these cultural differences in class and have it shared with me by my coworker. 

(3) Actual Internship

This week I worked on a business model for Sospesa. This included the financials for the upcoming year to keep the program running smoothly from September to December and January to July. Since donations this past year have been lower than usual, I created an excel sheet that determined the total amount of euros needed to create full boxes of food as well as half full boxes. Along with this, I started a document outlining all the roles in the program ranging from the target audience to types of funding opportunities. I think this document is key to the program running smoothly as they have no concrete system in place to make everything run smoothly. While going with the flow might work for now, it certainly won’t work in the future if they hope to have a sustainable program throughout the year.

(4) Cultural Immersion through group and personal travels

This past weekend we visited Rifugio Tavecchia which is a family run cabin. Upon arrival we were greeted with a traditional mountain meal which was wheat pasta with potatoes. You could feel the sense of family as the kids were helping bring out food, refill drinks and help clean up. When we went for the hike the second day, we stopped at a small cafe that was also family run. The space was collaborative and cozy with games and family photos everywhere. It has been enriching to learn and see how often children grow up and emerge in the family business from a very young age. The bonds between family in this country is something that is cherished and something that shapes the people here.

Traditional Mountain meal.

Set up at the Duomo for the orchestra.

One of the offices at work.

My new favorite gelato place… Bridgerton themed!

This week in the Corporate Social Responsibility course I really enjoyed the debate about ethics. My first thought about the debate was that it underscored how critical it is for businesses to navigate ethical dilemmas with care and consideration for diverse perspectives. Addy’s reference to the Wall Street Journal brought up the point that companies are increasingly being scrutinized not just for their financial performance, but also for their social and ethical stances. This is particularly relevant in today’s climate, where LGBTQ issues are at the forefront of social discourse. The discussions highlighted that there is no one-size-fits-all answer to these ethical questions. For instance, some argued that companies have a moral obligation to support LGBTQ rights as part of their commitment to equality and human rights. Others countered that businesses should remain neutral and focus solely on their economic objectives, leaving social issues to be addressed by governments and non-profit organizations.

This past week for the internship seminar we discussed parts of the Head or the Heart and then went into a class discussion on ethics. I found the Head or the Heart to be really interesting regarding the peach and coconut analogy. For me, I would describe myself as a peach but when thinking about it more, I can also be a coconut. But more interestingly, I found the debate to be very engaging. Even after the debate was over, many of us argued on the tram home which side was right. The debate sparked something in my head so when I traveled to work I would notice things I didn’t notice before. On the way to IES one day I saw a lady who dropped her stuff on the street and I watched as people would either pass her or stop to help. Although not the same as the mountain example, it was very interesting to see who would leap into action. 

This week at our internship we got to experience the actual lunch break on Thursday. It was very exciting to enjoy an hour break with coworkers and just talk about things other than work. We learned a lot about the different educations and compared our schools. Many of them described struggles with their education in Italy as they needed to determine their field of study so young. Even for high school students, they need to decide a general direction of study whether it be design, science, or architecture. This week we also learned a lot about different points of view from our education. Working in a design lab, we have been exposed to numerous projects and this past week watched a presentation on an idea for an art exposition. While it was amazing to see the various ideas they have come up with, our first question was how can they afford all of it.

This weekend I traveled to Lake Como for the mountain retreat. On Saturday we walked through a garden and got to explore the house museum on the property. We took a lovely boat ride to the town located right between the split of the lake and had time to explore. We got a lunch right on the water, looked at local shops, and of course got some gelato. Saturday night we traveled to a cabin in the mountains where we stayed the night. We were greeted with a typical mountain meal with 3 full courses. Finally, today we went for a hike through the mountains. We were able to see many waterfalls, cows, and how they make cheese from the cows. 

Walk through the garden by Lake Como

Lake Como view from the boat.

Cabin in the Mountains.

Local cheese production.

(1) Academic Enrichment via Professor Gupta’s Corporate Social Responsibility course, 

As I have now read 2 Wall Street Journal articles, I see how complex and unclear corporate social responsibility (CSR) can be. This course will help me understand and analyze these issues better. I want to learn more about the blurry lines between economic, legal, and ethical responsibilities of companies. By looking at real-world examples, I hope to see how different companies deal with these challenges. I also want to learn practical strategies for managers to make sure their companies act responsibly. This includes knowing what they can and cannot do within the rules and ethical guidelines. Discussing these topics with my classmates will give me different viewpoints and help me think more deeply about CSR.

(2) Internship Seminar

This past week in the Internship seminar has opened me up to a lot of self reflection. The class itself along with the assignments due, I had to think a lot about my personal work style. With that said, one of the goals I set to accomplish while in Italy is learning to adapt, work well on my feet, and learn to go with the flow. I learned from class that I gravitate very far to the schedule side and like order in things, so I will now work on being more flexible. It seems like in Italy this will be a more achievable goal as time here at work seems much more relaxed compared to home. Rather than rushing to get my work done, I am also learning to enjoy my company, form relationships, and gain knowledge from those around me. 

(3) Internship

As we got more in depth into our work throughout the week, I started researching specific aspects of the program that could be improved. This included looking up similar programs and comparing them to find weak spots and room for growth. Since a big problem for Sospesa has been consistent funding and volunteering, I tried to focus my research on how other programs incentivized donations, and voluntary work. After some research we shared our ideas with Irene and got some feedback and direction of why some things might work and not work. I have found my experience to be pretty collaborative and interesting as I have not quite adapted my mindset to think in terms of what would work well here in Italy. 

(4) Cultural Immersion through group and personal travels

This past weekend we traveled to the Appalachian Mountains with the Lehigh group and got to go on an amazing hike! Although the hike got quite difficult at the end due to a snowy trail, the view of the lake was beautiful. The lake was half frozen but was still so pretty. I also enjoyed the bus ride home as we got to see the little towns between the mountains and a different scenery from the city. Today I got to see Santa Margherita Ligure which looked like it was straight from a postcard. We got to hang out at one of the beaches and go swimming! The beach had rocks instead of sand which I was not used to but it was so nice and the water was really refreshing. We ended the day with a nice meal along the water and I got seafood carbonara which exceeded my expectations!

View of the cabin from the ropes course.

Nice homemade meal with Addy.

View of the lake at the end of the trail.

View walking around Santa Margherita Ligure.

As I wrote my first Wall Street Journal entry this week, I have learned a few valuable lessons before starting the Social Corporate Responsibility class. First, I now understand the importance of a summary to someone who has little to no background knowledge on the specific topic or article. Writing fluff can be daunting and painful to read and so I see how being brief and to the point is key to starting off an entry. Along with that, by reading my peers’ entries, I start to understand the writing quality that offers the reader more than just a surface level understanding of the article and the author’s view. I found it very helpful to see different writing styles in order to improve my own writing and am excited to continue to improve my writing. At Lehigh I sometimes find it difficult to write about assignments I have no interest in so I believe I will gain valuable writing skills by writing in different styles for different assignments that I am interested in.

I found the first Internship Seminar to be enlightening and full of impactful information. Before attending the first class, I had envisioned the class to be structured to improve our deliverables such as resume writing and networking. But contrary to my expectations, I found that the class cultivates self reflection, cultural awareness, and learning from others’ experience. All things that would not be possible taking a course in America. My favorite part of the class was sharing first impressions from the workplace with our peers. Some things I heard blew my mind but I now realize will become my new normal while working here and adapting to their culture. 

I started my internship at Off Campus Nolo which was very exciting! It is a branch off of the Politecnico di Milano University in Milan and is a creative space that focuses on social responsibility, research, and building up the community. They welcomed me and Katie in with an offering of coffee and tiramisu (which our boss made herself) and an overview of the mission. We were assigned to start working on a project called Sospesa which is a food security program that offers food donations to those in need. Since the program runs on donations, they are aware it is not sustainable as they are already experiencing problems fulfilling full orders. One of the coolest parts was that the office was located in a market. The market was filled with bakeries, coffee shops, fruit stands, and much more. Off Campus Nolo partners with those local shops to help fulfill their orders with food that is not of selling standard. I felt an instant sense of community in the market which makes the project I will be working on so much more meaningful. They also expressed to us that we have the freedom to really work on what aspect of the project that interests us most. While comforting, I do want to branch out and gain some experience with something that isn’t most natural to me. 

Traveling through Milan has been wonderful! This past weekend we traveled to Lake Maggiore where we visited 3 beautiful islands. But besides that trip, I have found wandering the streets more interesting. Every time I have walked a new place, I have been amazed by all the things I have not seen and how much there is to do. There are coffee shops on every corner, shops everywhere, and most importantly, people everywhere. Growing up in a suburban area has certainly not prepared me for being around this many people 24/7. One thing I have gotten comfortable with is people in my personal space. I am unsure how I will react when everyone starts to get really sweaty in the heat but I am adjusting!

Garden from Lake Maggiore.

Pizza with IES on the first night.

White peacock from Lake Maggiore.

Boat ride on the way to the islands.

 

I am super thrilled to travel to Milan and start with the courses! One of my biggest challenges while in college is staying aware and engaged in the current events in the world while focusing on school work. So a big expectation I have is that through the Corporate Social Responsibility course I will be able to engage in meaningful conversations that spark new ideas in my head. I love to discuss controversial topics and this class seems like it will foster a supportive environment to learn from one another and share. My goal is to share my thoughts even when my opinion seems to be challenged and be open to different perspectives and ideas. I believe that being uncomfortable is a powerful thing to learn from and I think this course will definitely have times where that is the case.

Within the Internship Seminar one of my expectations for myself is to better understand my strengths and weaknesses so that I can market myself in a way that stands out. As I get older, I see more of the importance of being able to market myself well to possible employers and I think this course will help me explore that and build my professional profile. Along with that I hope to learn from my peers and share experiences that benefit everyone. I hope that this course acts as a bridge between our academics and life goals. I want to strengthen my resume to showcase my skills and the work I have done throughout college so far. 

Since I have not had an actual internship before, I hope to learn what it is like in the workplace. I think it is a great starting point to get myself prepared for an actual internship for the following summer and give me more insight to the importance of professionalism. My expectations for the internship are not so much focused on the material I am learning but more so on the environment and learning proper etiquette and work life balance. I have confidence in myself that whatever I am tasked to do I will learn the process quickly to adapt. One of my hopes is getting better at asking questions. A lot of the time, I like to think I can just figure things out on my own but I want to explore a better balance of not being afraid to ask and doing things on my own.

This trip being the second time going outside of the US ever for me, I hope to keep an open mind and learn more about the culture in Milan. I want to fully emerge in everyday life and try new things that I might not have done. One thing that I am looking forward to is seeing first hand how much they enjoy life. I have always heard how amazing the work life balance is there so I’m hoping I can relax more than I would at home and just really enjoy my time there while learning as much as I can. Overall, I hope to experience as many things as possible, laugh with friends, and gain a new perspective.